Brainable

by Mind Over Matter V 13:

A New Student Education Program About Brain Health

Women’s Brain Health Initiative’s Millennial Minds® carries the slogan “it’s not too early to start taking care of your brain.” The dynamic program aims to reach and teach those under the age of 40 who want to understand what it takes to stay cognitively healthy throughout their lives.

Now, Women’s Brain Health Initiative (WBHI) is bringing the latest tips for better brain health to the classroom with an innovative new educational program called Brainable™, geared towards students in grades five through eight.

“The decisions that children make today will have an impact on their minds and bodies in the future,” Brainable™ Program Director Jade Crystal told Mind Over Matter®.  

Crystal, who serves on WBHI’s Young Person’s Cabinet, proposed the Brainable™ initiative. A former middle school teacher, she had been attending Millennial Minds® events for years and felt that it was a natural extension to bring the brain health message to a younger audience. She pitched the idea to WBHI Founder and President Lynn Posluns. 

“I decided to take a chance and see if she’d be willing to take the Millennial Minds® content to the middle school classroom, teaching the same material but to a younger audience, and supplementing the Ontario health and science curriculum,” said Crystal. 

DEMENTIA HAS BEEN TYPICALLY PORTRAYED AS A DISEASE OF THE ELDERLY, BUT THE DAMAGE CAN START DECADES EARLIER. WE KNOW THAT OUR BRAINS ARE CONTINUALLY DEVELOPING THROUGH THE TEENAGE YEARS, AND PEAK AT THE AGE OF 25. 

Crystal noted that bad lifestyle choices can have a detrimental impact on young brains, while good habits can pay lifelong dividends.  

“With the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen kids getting into bad habits – less time being social with friends, staying up later, trying to cope with added stress. All of these have an effect. Our goal is to encourage better habits.”

Posluns was quickly sold on the Brainable™ concept. 

“When we started creating Brainable™ and ran the idea past parents and teachers, we discovered very quickly that the demand for the program was going to be huge,” said Posluns. 

WBHI Executive Director JoAnne Korten, who had previously suggested creating a similar initiative, started reaching out to donors and found instant interest, quickly raising more than half of the required funding to carry the program through the first two years.  

Crystal is building a 75-minute program that will be taught in either English or French, and offered to schools and students who participate at no charge, thanks to the support of donors.

Students will learn about the various ways in which they can help protect their brain health. The program touches on nutrition, proper sleep, and ongoing learning, as well as gives advice on how to cope with stress. There is also essential information on behaviours that can harm brain health, such as smoking, lack of exercise, and too much sugar in the diet. 

There will be supporting materials as well: a Brainable™ magazine for students modelled on Mind Over Matter®, and a tip guide for parents with fun and easy activities to support good brain health every day. Teachers will receive learning resources and recommended follow-up activities to reinforce brain-healthy behaviours.  

“The content is very similar to what the entire WBHI team has been teaching to adults for almost a decade. We’re just modifying to fit not only the language of kids, but also the context,” said Crystal. 

“The hours of sleep, for example, are different for an adult compared to a younger person. We’ve also focused on the effects on the developing brain. For example, substance abuse has a huge impact on the adult brain, but it has a bigger impact on the brain of a child or adolescent because it’s still developing.”

THE BRAINABLE™ PROGRAM WILL BE TESTED IN CLASSROOMS THIS FALL, WITH THE ROLL OUT SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 2022.

The idea has struck a chord. Initially, the program is being offered only in the Greater Toronto Area, but the interest is already overwhelming, with more than 100 expressions of interest from schools, parents, and students in just the first three weeks. Although aimed at middle schools, WBHI has also received multiple requests from high schools asking for a similar program. 

“The requests to bring Brainable™ to schools is beyond what we thought, which is pretty phenomenal,” said Posluns. “Especially with the pandemic, this issue really resonates with both parents and teachers. They want to provide children with the necessary tools to help improve their mental health.”

WBHI continues to raise money for Brainable™, with the goal of expanding its reach across Ontario and ultimately nationwide.  

For more information about Brainable™, visit  Brainable.ca.