Over 3,000 military children from 150 schools across the UK took part in our Little Troopers at School online workshop on the 7th July 2022. Hosted by TV and radio broadcaster and mental health ambassador Katie Thistleton and ITV presenter Frankie Vu, the workshop focused on mental health and wellbeing.
Part of the Little Troopers at School programme, pupils came together to tune into the two-hour virtual session which discussed unique challenges that military life can bring. Using games, drawings and other fun activities, the children talked about topics like having a parent deployed or moving home and school.
Louise, founder of our charity said: “As the school holidays approach, many military families will be coping with deployment or preparing to move home. We thought this was the ideal time for schools to bring together their service children to give them some tools to help them through and celebrate what it means to be a ‘little trooper.”
All of the workshop activities were from the charity’s dedicated Little Troopers at School programme, which was created to give schools resources to support military children in the classroom.
Trudy Sargeant from Wimborne Primary School said: “It was so nice to see the children being together and supported in this way when I was a service child there was nothing like this. It’s good to see how times have changed.”
One of the children told us: “I really enjoyed being at the Little Troopers workshop with my friends. We got to draw about how we feel when we start a new school. I have been to 4 schools now and sometimes I get nervous when we move. We learnt it is ok to have wibbly wobbly feelings in our tummy sometimes and that we can talk to people if we are worried.”
This year’s workshop has been made possible thanks to generous grants from the Armed Forces Education Trust, ABF The Soldier’s Charity, The Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity and The Grocers Charity. This support meant that as well as taking part in the workshop, all the children took home a goodie bag including a pack of positive affirmation cards.
To find out more about all our school’s resources click here.
