Question 5 – Mental Health and Well-being
By now, Ontario’s stats have been widely shared, but they’re still worth revisiting: “70% of mental health problems have their onset during childhood or adolescence.” “34% of Ontario high-school students indicate a moderate-to-serious level of psychological distress (symptoms of anxiety and depression).”
Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) released a report in 2013, Building a Better School Environment for Youth with Mental Health and Addiction Issues. It made five recommendations based on the information provided therein:
“Improve communication and respect between youth and those in leadership roles in order for youth to effectively step into their own and be empowered.
“Provide youth with increased support and compassion from peers to reduce feelings of isolation.
“Increase access to resources to ensure more young people seek help.
“Incorporate a greater level of mental health and addictions education into the school curriculum.
“Provide increased professional development and training for teachers and staff members on how to support the mental health and well-being of young people.”
Ontario schools, of course, can’t do it alone; but they are certainly well-positioned to help our children and youth. For example, teachers can be trained to recognize signs of psychological distress in their students. Schools can act as a hub connecting children and youth with the mental healthcare they might need- and some already do.
The Ministry of Education has acknowledged this, redoubling on the commitment it first put forward in the Education Act in 2009 by including Promoting Well-Being as one of four interconnected goals for education in Achieving Excellence (2014). The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, in turn, has taken concrete steps such as training staff on suicide intervention through ASIST and safeTALK programs.
Please incorporate your views on the following into a cohesive response:
What do you believe an OCDSB trustee’s role is re: promoting well-being in Ottawa public schools?
Provide 1-2 examples of initiatives the OCDSB has recently undertaken to prevent mental illness and promote mental health and well-being that you support.
Provide 1-2 examples of initiatives the OCDSB has recently undertaken to prevent physical illness and promote physical health and well-being that you support.
Do you think the OCDSB’s response to psychological distress experienced by youth is proportionate to the scale of the crisis?
Are there any initiatives or programs you would support that might promote mental well-being (cf. preventing mental illness)?
In all responses, you are invited to consider small-scale initiatives that (stand to) have a large impact- e.g., extending lunch breaks, building physical activity into every day, providing more opportunities for students to experience nature- alongside larger initiatives such as publicly-funded alternative programs.