A caption reads "TVO Kids and Riverbank pictures original."

[laughter]

(music plays)

Wearing a mask, Akin walks in his room.

Akin is in his early teens, with slightly long braided brown hair and wears jeans and a yellow sweater.

Akin's room is full of colourful furniture, has different colour walls, a black and white checkered floor, pink curtains, and a neon sign that reads "Feelings" behind a couch.

He says OH HEY, IT'S ME AKIN.
THE HOST OF HOW DO YOU FEEL?
I'M SURE YOU'RE FEELING A LOT
THESE DAYS.
WE ALL ARE, AND THAT'S OKAY.
I WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT MY
FRIENDS AND I FILMED THE SHOW
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, SO EVEN
THOUGH WE'RE NOT WEARING MASKS,
OR PHYSICALLY DISTANCING, IT'S
STILL VERY IMPORTANT.
SO IF YOU'RE IN A SITUATION
WHERE YOU NEED TO
PHYSICALLY DISTANCE, BUT YOU
CAN'T, PUT ON YOUR MASK.
IT'LL HELP KEEP YOU AND YOUR
FRIENDS SAFE.
WHICH FEELS GREAT!
ENJOY THE SHOW!

In animation, the opening of the show rolls.

As the sun comes up between the mountains, colourful letters with different mood facial expressions form the name of the show. It reads "How do you feel?"

A song goes SOME DAYS YOU MIGHT BE HAPPY
AND SOME DAYS YOU MIGHT BE MAD
OTHER DAYS THEY START OFF
RIGHT
BUT THEN YOU WENT UPSET
BUT IT'S OKAY
CUZ WE WANNA KNOW
HOW DO YOU FEEL?
YEAH, HOW DO YOU FEEL?

Akin tries clothes behind a curtain.

Akin says URRGGHHH!
NO! NOT THAT!
DEFINITELY, NOT THAT.
WELL, MAYBE.
URRRGHHH!
I'M HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING
READY TODAY.
IT'S SILLY BECAUSE I DON'T CARE
ABOUT MY CLOTHES THAT MUCH.
WHEN I'M NERVOUS EVEN THE
SMALLEST DECISIONS CAN
BE HARD TO MAKE.
LIKE WHEN I HAVE A TEST.
I CAN'T FIGURE OUT IF I WANT
CEREAL OR WAFFLES
FOR BREAKFAST!
BECAUSE I'M TOO BUSY THINKING
ABOUT THE TEST!
[exhales]
WHAT? INSIDE OUT?
AS YOU MAY HAVE GUESSED I HAVE A
TEST COMING UP.
ALL THOSE NERVES CAN REALLY GET
IN THE WAY.
I WAS TALKING ABOUT THIS WITH MY
FRIEND JACK THE OTHER DAY.
[finger snap]

(music plays)
An animation rolls as Akin tells the story.

Akin saysJACK IS GETTING READY TO START
AT A BRAND NEW SCHOOL.
AND HE'S FEELING NERVOUS AND
AFRAID.
HE'S WORRIED ABOUT NOT KNOWING
ANYONE.
AND HE WONDERS WHETHER HIS
TEACHER AND HIS
NEW CLASSMATES WILL LIKE HIM.
WILL HE WORK WELL ENOUGH?
OR QUIETLY ENOUGH TO MAKE HIS
NEW TEACHER HAPPY?
ALL OF THESE THOUGHTS ARE
CIRCLING IN JACK'S HEAD.
AS HE'S GETTING READY FOR HIS
NEW SCHOOL.

Akin and Duane walk into the backyard. Duane is in his thirties, with short straight black hair and wears brown trousers, a red and black plaid shirt and a gray T-shirt.

Akin says DUANE, I REMEMBER WHEN WE MET
FOR THE FIRST TIME,
I WAS REALLY NERVOUS.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WERE
GONNA BE LIKE.
OR IF WE'D GET ALONG.
I THINK JACK IS FEELING
THE SAME THING
ABOUT HIS NEW TEACHER.

Duane says ALL THE THOUGHTS CIRCLING AROUND
JACK'S MIND ARE NORMAL.
MANY PEOPLE FEEL SCARED
OR NERVOUS AT THE THOUGHT
OF STARTING AT A NEW
SCHOOL.
I'M JUST GLAD THAT JACK
HAD THE COURAGE
TO EXPRESS HIS
FEELINGS.

Akin says JACK HAS A LOT OF WORRIES
PILING UP ABOUT
HIS NEW SCHOOL, CAN WE
OFFER HIM ANY TIPS?

Duane says BEFORE HE EVEN STARTS AT
THE NEW SCHOOL,
JACK MAY WANT TO START BY
SPEAKING WITH AN ADULT
THAT HE CAN TRUST ABOUT
HIS FEELINGS.
MANY IF NOT JUST ABOUT
EVERY ADULT
HAS HAD A FIRST DAY
AT A SCHOOL.
IT MAY HELP JACK TO HEAR
ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES
OR HOW THEY FELT.
SOMETIMES SPEAKING WITH SOMEONE
ABOUT A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE
WHILE BEING HEARD AND UNDERSTOOD
BY THAT PERSON,
CAN HELP US TO REALIZE THAT
WE'RE NOT ALONE.

Akin says IS THERE ANYTHING
THAT HE COULD DO
TO PREPARE?

Duane says MAYBE HE COULD START BY
PRACTICING HIS ROUTINES.
WHETHER HE'S GONNA WALK OR
DRIVE TO SCHOOL.
DOING THAT A FEW TIMES, MIGHT
MAKE HIM FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE
GETTING TO SCHOOL.
IF JACK'S ALLOWED ON SCHOOL
GROUNDS, MAYBE HE CAN EXPLORE
AND GET MORE COMFORTABLE
THAT WAY.
ALSO IF HE HAS A BOOK BACK OR
A KNAPSACK OF SOME SORT
HE CAN KEEP A PICTURE OF A
LOVED ONE, OR A STUFFED ANIMAL
TO MAKE HIM FEEL MORE
COMFORTABLE TOO.

Akin says WHAT ELSE CAN WE TELL
JACK TO MAKE HIM FEEL
MORE CONFIDENT?

Duane says I KNOW THAT JACK WAS
WORRIED THAT HE MAY
NOT KNOW ANYONE
AT SCHOOL.
BUT THAT ALSO MEANS THAT
NOBODY KNOWS HIM.
JUST AS JACK MAY BE INTERESTED
IN MAKING CONNECTIONS
WITH OTHER PEOPLE, SO TOO MIGHT
OTHERS BE INTERESTED
IN CONNECTING WITH HIM.
HE MIGHT FIND SOMEONE WITH A
SIMILAR INTEREST IN A SPORT,
A SUBJECT AT SCHOOL OR AN
ART FORM.
AND WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT
JACK DESERVES TO HAVE
GREAT FRIENDSHIPS.
BUT IT TAKES TIME TO BUILD
THOSE FRIENDSHIPS
SO MY HOPE IS THAT JACK CAN
BE PATIENT WITH HIMSELF.

Akin says I WISH I COULD BE THERE FOR
JACK ON THE FIRST DAY.

Duane says WE MAY NOT BE WITH JACK
ON HIS FIRST DAY
BUT WHEN SOMEONE NEW COMES
TO OUR SCHOOL,
WE SHOULD INTRODUCE OURSELVES.
TELL THEM OUR NAME.
ASK THEM THEIR NAME.
AND IF WE INVITE THEM TO A
DIFFERENT ACTIVITY
OR EVEN LUNCH, IT MIGHT GO
A LONG WAY TO HELPING
THEM FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE
AT THEIR NEW SCHOOL.

Akin says SPEAKING OF LUNCH, IF I
MAKE QUESADILLAS
WILL YOU HAVE LUNCH
WITH ME.

Duane says SOUNDS GOOD.

[fanfare]

[pinball bells]
Akin's friends play an arcade game.

Akin says HEY GUYS!
GUYS!?
Using a megaphone, he says GUYSSSSS!

They all sit on a sofa.

Akin says I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU
ABOUT JACK'S STORY.
HE'S FEELING NERVOUS ABOUT
STARTING AT A NEW SCHOOL.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?

Maleda is around 12 years old. She has long curly black hair tied-up and wears a pale sweater.

Maleda says I FEEL LIKE HE SHOULDN'T BE
THAT NERVOUS BECAUSE IT'S
A NEW FRESH START AT A NEW
SCHOOL, SO HE'LL SHOW EVERYONE
HOW NICE HE IS AND THAT HE'S A
GOOD STUDENT.
SO THERE'S PROBABLY NOT MUCH TO
WORRY ABOUT.

Shivansh is around 10 years old. He has combed black hair and wears a red polo-shirt.

Shivansh says IT'S HARD BECAUSE
HE CAN'T SEE HIS OLD TEACHERS,
OLD FRIENDS BUT THERE'S
SOMETHING GOOD ABOUT IT TOO.

Jude is around 11 years old. He has brown hair shaved on the sides and wears a blue shirt.

Jude says I THINK IT WOULD BE A TOUGH
SITUATION BECAUSE HE'S MOVING
FROM ONE SCHOOL THAT HE PROBABLY
WAS THERE FOR A LONG TIME, AND
NOW HE'S MOVING TO
A DIFFERENT ONE.

Akin says HAVE YOU GUYS EVER BEEN IN A
SIMILAR SITUATION AS JACK'S?

Shivansh says YEAH. YES.
TWO WEEKS AGO I MOVED SO I
PRETTY MUCH KNOW
HOW IT FEELS.

Akin says WHAT DID IT FEEL LIKE?

Shivansh says IT FEELED EXCITING
AND ALSO SAD AT THE SAME TIME.
BECAUSE IT WAS SAD BECAUSE
WHAT ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS?
THEY CAN'T COME WITH YOU.
I WAS HAPPY BECAUSE YOU
CAN MAKE NEW FRIENDS.
AND YOU HAVE A NEW TEACHER.

Akin says WHAT ABOUT YOU JUDE?

Jude says I MOVED A PROVINCE FROM
CALGARY ALL THE WAY HERE.
WELL I LOST ALL MY FRIENDS
BECAUSE I DON'T GET
TO SEE THEM ANYMORE.
AND IT WAS KINDA SAD.

Akin says HAVE YOU EVER FELT NERVOUS
ABOUT TRYING SOMETHING NEW?

Maleda says IN MY AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
I HAD THE HIP-HOP CLASS.
AND I WASN'T THE BEST AT
DANCING AND MOST OF MY
FRIENDS DIDN'T
JOIN IT.
I HAD TO DO IT BY
MYSELF WITH THESE KIDS
THAT I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW.
SO I WAS SORT OF NERVOUS.
BUT THE GOOD THING IS THAT
I LEARNED
HOW TO DO TO HIP-HOP DANCING.
AND I ALSO ENDED UP MAKING
NEW FRIENDS.

Akin says IS THERE ANYTHING YOU GUYS
WOULD LIKE TO TELL JACK
FOR HIS BIG FIRST DAY?

Shivansh says THAT KEEP GOING AND YOU'LL
BE AWESOME.

Jude says I WOULD TELL HIM HE'S GONNA DO
A GREAT JOB
AND HE'S GONNA MAKE LOTS OF
FRIENDS.

Maleda says I WOULD TELL JACK IT'S ALL
GONNA BE JUST FINE
AND HE'S GONNA MAKE
LOTS OF NEW FRIENDS.
AND ONCE HE MAKES NEW
FRIENDS HE'S GONNA HAVE
LOTS OF PEOPLE TO PLAY WITH
SO HE WON'T BE LONELY.

Akin says THANKS GUYS!
I THINK THERE'S ONLY ONE THING
THAT'S MISSING.
A KEY TO ANY FIRST
DAY OF SCHOOL.
A FIRST DAY POWER STANCE.

They all stand posing in a secure manner.

Next, Akin walks into his room.

Akin says IT'S OKAY TO FEEL NERVOUS OR
AFRAID SOMETIMES.
IT'S OUR BODY'S WAY OF MAKING
SURE WE STAY
SAFE AND ON ALERT FOR DANGER.
BUT OTHER TIMES WE HAVE NEGATIVE
THOUGHTS THAT
STICK AROUND, EVEN WHEN THEY'RE
NOT HELPING.

He sits at a table and grabs a sticky pink substance.

Akin says I CALL THESE STICKY THOUGHTS.
THE THOUGHTS AND WORRIES THAT
STICK IN OUR MINDS
AND MAKE IT HARD FOR US TO FOCUS
ON OTHER THINGS.
IT'S OKAY, NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
WILL COME.
WHEN THEY DO, JUST TAKE A
DEEP BREATHE
AND REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE.
JUST THOUGHTS.
EVEN THE STICKIEST ONES
WILL PASS.

Back in the basement, Akin says LIKE A LOT OF THE HARD
COMPLICATED
UNFUN THINGS IN LIFE,
HOMEWORK IS BEST
WHEN YOU TACKLE IT
TOGETHER.
WHETHER IT'S YOUR FIRST DAY OF
GRADE ONE,
OR YOUR LAST DAY OF GRADE
ONE HUNDRED!
REMEMBER YOU'LL HAVE EVERYTHING
YOU NEED...
RIGHT HERE...
AND HERE.

He points to his head and his heart.

Akin and his friends say AND HERE!
BYE!

(music plays)

Music plays as the end credits roll.

Copyright 2020, Riverbank Pictures.