News
Bell Let’s Talk Day is January 29
th
, 2020
Bell Let’s Talk Day is an annual campaign to increase awareness about mental health across Canada. It is structured around four primary pillars: ending stigma, increasing access to care, investing in research, and leading by example through positive mental health in the workplace. Join the movement on January 29
th
by starting a conversation about mental health in your classroom or with your colleagues. Don’t know where to begin? Bell has created a toolkit including a conversation guide to help get you started.
Find out more.
Articles
Food in Focus: Youth Exploring Food in Schools Using Photovoice
A study from Nova Scotia, Canada, used photovoice, a method of engaging participants through photo-taking, to include youth in discussions about school food policy and program development. This study demonstrated the unique insights that emerge when youth are given the opportunity to share their experiences and perspectives. One of the themes identified through this project was the importance of spaces and places to youth food experiences.
Find out more.
Stories
Revelstoke Secondary School Tests a New Approach to Reduce Vaping in Schools
The BC Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance recently released new
vaping regulations and strategies
to help protect youth. Schools have also been trying out their own anti-vaping initiatives. Revelstoke Secondary School tested the effectiveness of a buy-back program. When students turn in their vape devices they receive a credit for the cafeteria. The principal estimated that between 45-50 devices have been turned in throughout this initiative.
Find out more.
D.P. Todd Secondary School Redefines the Classroom
A new outdoor education program at D.P. Todd Secondary School in Prince George, B.C., takes students to a classroom where trees are the walls and a forest canopy is the ceiling. Students learn how to set traps, build survival shelters, and turn hides into clothing items. With its focus on hands-on learning, real-life skills, and seeing something through from beginning to end, the school says it has proven to be a popular class among students.
Find out more.
Reso
urces
Vaping Toolkit for Schools
The BC Lung Association, Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health partnered to create a Vaping Prevention Toolkit for educators. The toolkit is intended to increase the knowledge of educators and help guide youth towards making informed decisions regarding the use of vaping products. The toolkit includes infographics, frequently asked questions, information for teachers and parents, and a PowerPoint presentation that will be regularly updated with results of emerging science on vaping.
Find out more.
The Six Cedar Trees
What lessons can we learn from our Pacific Northwest Coast animals? This is the question Eagle explores as he settles in a tall grove of cedar trees nestled in the corner of a school playground.
The Six Cedar Trees
is a book that grew out of an educator’s inquiry into B.C.’s Core Competencies and the First Peoples Principles of Learning. Each animal represented in the book has been chosen carefully as an “anchor” to teach children ways of being reflective, compassionate and to develop a deeper understanding of themselves.
Find out more.
Announcements
UBC Spring Institutes for Mental Health Literacy February 2020
Developed as part of a provincial professional development strategy, the UBC Mental Health Institutes aim to increase mental health literacy leadership capacity in districts and schools. Educators will learn how to better assist their students, support and inform their colleagues, and improve their own mental health. District leaders will learn promising practices from other jurisdictions, up-to-date mental health literacy content, and gain experience with mental health literacy monitoring and evaluation practices.
Find out more.
ParticipACTION’s Community Better Challenge
In the Spring of 2020, ParticipACTION will host its second annual cross-Canada Community Better Challenge. This challenge is open to all organizations, schools, sport groups and workplaces to participate and track their minutes as a team. If you host an event or program that helps your community get active during the challenge, you may be eligible to receive a micro-grant to support your efforts. Grant applications are accepted between January 27
th
to February 28
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, 2020. Now is the time to start thinking about what kind of event your school would like to host.
Find out more.
