Mental Health Awareness Week
Hello Highland! This week we are celebrating mental health awareness week. The Canadian Mental Health Association’s annual Mental Health Week is a social change campaign to shift attitudes and perceptions about mental health. The 2024 theme is “Healing through Compassion.” Mental Health Week helps promote behaviours and attitudes that foster well-being, support good mental health and create a culture of understanding and acceptance.
Please see links to resources below that you can use with your class if you like. If you see any students struggling with their mental health, Rich, Jason and I are happy to talk to them and share resources for support as well. Encourage your students to participate in our weekly kindness activity and enter a draw to win a prize.
Resources:
Stigma Free Society – Mental Health Tooolkits, complete with free presentations via Zoom, lesson plans for mental wellness for grades 4-7 and 8-12, and downloadable resources: https://stigmafreesociety.com/programs/school-program/student-mental-health-toolkit/
To learn more about child and youth mental health, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/managing-your-health/mental-health-substance-use/child-teen-mental-health
A Pathway to Hope: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/initiatives-plans-strategies/mental-health-and-addictions-strategy/bcmentalhealthroadmap_2019web-5.pdf
Map of mental health and substance use services throughout B.C., visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/mental-health-support-in-bc/map
FoundryBC: https://foundrybc.ca/
Family Smart: Provides one-to-one support, tools and tips for families whose children or teens are experiencing mental health challenges: https://familysmart.ca o Parent – Peer support: https://familysmart.ca/parent-peer-support/
o Say, Don’t Say – How do you want adults to talk to you about your mental health? Part One: https://familysmart.ca/files/Say-Dont-Say-How-do-you-want-adults-to-talk-to-you-about-your-mental-health_-1.pdf
o Say, Don’t Say – How do you want adults to talk to you about your mental health? Part Two: https://familysmart.ca/files/Say-Dont-Say-How-do-you-want-adults-to-talk-to-you-about-your-mental-health_-2.pdf
o Say, Don’t Say – How do you want adults to talk to you about your mental health? Part Three: https://familysmart.ca/files/Say-Dont-Say-How-do-you-want-adults-to-talk-to-you-about-your-mental-health_-3.pdf