The Department of Education, with the proud support of GibSams, is delighted to announce the 4th Annual Gibraltar Schools Mental Health Festival, running from October 8th to 10th, 2025. This year’s central theme is “Mental Health: What Makes You Happy?”
The festival will feature a week of activities across Gibraltar's schools, designed to encourage open conversations about mental health and provide pupils with strategies for maintaining wellbeing. Building on the success of previous years, the festival continues to tackle important topics relevant to young people and their families.
This year, the festival is honoured to welcome two guests from the UK: wellbeing pioneers Project OK and renowned parenting expert Sue Atkins. They will lead a series of insightful sessions for children, parents, carers, and educators, focusing on practical support and modern-day challenges.
The festival was officially launched on Tuesday 7th October at 7:00 pm at Xapo Bank’s premises in Casemates.
A key focus of this year's festival is parental wellbeing. A series of free events has been organised for parents and carers, offering practical tools and expert advice. These include:
Emotional Wellbeing: Keeping Mentally Strong for Our Children & the Power of Movement
• Delivered by: Project OK
• Date & Time: Wednesday 8th October 2025, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
• Venue: Bayside School
Raising Happy Healthy Children in a Digital World
• Delivered by: Sue Atkins
• Date & Time: Thursday 9th October 2025, 11:00am - 12:00pm
• Venue: Calpe Rowing Club
The Top 5 Digital Challenges for Parents — And How to Solve Them
• Delivered by: Sue Atkins
• Date & Time: Thursday 9th October 2025, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
• Venue: Bayside School
In addition to the public events, a dedicated professional development session will be held for teachers and invited guests on Wednesday 8th October, to further support their crucial role in fostering positive mental health within the school environment.
The Director of Education Keri Scott said: “We are thrilled to launch the fourth Schools Mental Health Festival, an initiative that has become a cornerstone of our commitment to children and community wellbeing. This year’s theme of 'Mental Health: What Makes You Happy?' encourages a positive and proactive approach to mental health. We are incredibly grateful to our international experts, Project OK and Sue Atkins, for sharing their knowledge, and to GibSams for their invaluable sponsorship which makes this event possible."
A representative from GibSams added: "GibSams is honoured to sponsor this vital community initiative. Opening up conversations about mental health and equipping parents and children with practical coping strategies is at the very heart of our mission. We believe this festival will have a lasting positive impact on families throughout Gibraltar."
Attendance for the parent and carer sessions is free, but places are limited. Registration is essential and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Parents are encouraged to register promptly for the events via the links circulated by schools and GibSams.
