Mental Health Team Encourages Grand Erie to ‘Talk’

Research has shown that there is a direct relationship between being mentally healthy and a student’s ability to learn and achieve their current and future goals. Within the education system, Well-Being is about teaching students the social-emotional skills that help them become resilient, and make positive and healthy choices that support their learning and achievement. It’s a pillar in Grand Erie’s Multi-Year Plan, with work and planning dedicated to creating environments that are healthy, and which recognize the well-being of mind, body, emotion, and spirit. Within Grand Erie, the Mental Health team and its partners strive to help students learn the attitudes, skills, habits, and behaviours to live a mentally and physically healthy life.

To do this, the team is working with teachers to help students learn social-emotional skills such as self-awareness, self-regulation, responsible problem solving, and cooperation skills. This fall, within our Secondary Schools, students attended presentations on basic mental health awareness. Our School Board is currently working on resources to help students manage stress and anxiety effectively, so they are better equipped to meet life’s challenges. More vulnerable students in our schools received targeted support through Student Support Personnel and where needed, students and families were connected with community resources.

Today is Let’s Talk, and Bell has created an online toolkit to help open the lines of communication around mental health. Today and every day, let’s talk to each other, and help build supportive structures around mental health and well-being. Doing so breaks down barriers to further support, and helps overcome the stigma that still stands in many people’s ways.

Assistance and support are available right now to anyone struggling or in crisis.