Quirindi High School was proud to host, former Quirindi High School student, and Director of The Younger Heroes, Damien Schofield.
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This-morning Damien presented to the whole of school and is running three fun workshops for students through the day.
In his workshops, Damien combines mental and physical inspiration and tips to enable students to realise their inner strength.
Damien Schofield is the founder and Director of The Younger Heroes, a breakthrough program designed by professionals to strengthen the family bond of those serving in the Australian Defence Force.
Mr Schofield, a former Willow Tree resident is the son of a Vietnam Veteran, who suffered his own demons as a side effect to his father's time at war.
He is a health and fitness professional, personal trainer, who has a background in martial arts, physical therapy techniques and group training.
He has trained under eleven times World Kick Boxing Champion John Wayne Parr and Mark Visser, Australian big wave surfer and ocean adventurer, capturing the interest of the US Navy Seals.
In his professional life, Mr Schofield works with a broad range of people from those experiencing substance dependencies, professional sportsmen and women and other mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The students and he discussed a range of topics including social media awareness and effects of screen time.
“I encourage you all to create a screen free room, no phones, no TV’s no computer games, just a place to connect as a family,” said Mr Schofield, who also discussed how physical exercise can benefit mental health problems.
“We all have our bad days, but taking the time to go for a walk or do some physical activity, either alone or as a team is vital to good mental health.”
Under his guidance, students also undertook some animal flow practices - which uses a combination of Muay Thai and other martial arts to improve physical mobility, strength and endurance.
Mr Schofield also spoke on his personal journey overcoming depression and the effects of trauma and bullying when at school.
“I was bullied at school, it had a huge and lasting impact on my life. Bullying is serious and if you are being bullied you need to talk to a parent, teacher or adult about your situation. And remember, in life you will not get along will everyone but never bully anyone.”
Student, Charlie Parsons who undertook one of Mr Schofield’s workshops said he really enjoyed it.
“It was pretty inspiring to hear Damo talk about his time at Quirindi High School and what he went thorough as a kid and to see all the great things he is achieving now. It was fun to do the workshop and I learnt a lot about respecting others,” he said.
We thank, Mr Schofield, who is based in Byron Bay with his young family for making the journey to Quirindi High School and for sharing his inspirational journey on how he turned his personal struggles into changing people’s lives for the better.
- Contributed by Quirindi High School