The student voice for youth mental health resonated loudly as approximately 80 leaders from secondary schools across Bluewater District School Board (BWDSB) gathered for Youth Wellness Champions Training Day on Wednesday, September 25.
From each participating school, a group of five to 12 students accompanied by a designated staff lead, participated in a jampacked agenda of brainstorming, break-out sessions, and carousels offered by community partners at the BWDSB Education Centre.
Led by BWDSB Mental Health Lead Sarah Freeborn and Kristi McCracken, Public Health Nurse with Grey Bruce Public Health (GBPH), the day kicked off with an overview of the project. Youth Wellness Champions work to improve the mental health and well-being of their peers by promoting mental health related activities within the school, helping to reduce stigma surrounding mental illness, and educating others on substance misuse prevention. Students were encouraged to make a monthly wellness plan to take back to their respective schools for actioning throughout the year. Ongoing collaboration is then encouraged at each school between the Youth Wellness Champions, lead staff member, public health nurse, and mental health staff to assess school needs, engage in planning, and execute activities.
Participants were provided with some past examples of activities coordinated by previous Youth Wellness Champions in their schools. These included morning announcements, a bulletin board for positive messages, a kindness tree, student versus staff sporting events, ‘kindness counts’ cards, yoga sessions, dances, and more.
Facilitated and supported by BWDSB mental health and child and youth workers, as well as public health nurses, students split into four groups to attend break-out sessions. Areas of focus were art activities to promote self-expression and wellness (e.g., creating stress balls and calming stones), connections between music and mental health (e.g., developing song playlists for different moods), mindfulness and calming skills (e.g., progressive muscle relaxation for anxiety), and vaping (e.g., tips on supporting struggling peers).