Trustee Responses 2

What can trustees do to help address the youth mental health crisis facing the North Island?

Fred Robertson

Youth mental health is at a crisis level in our community.  It shows up in many different ways in our schools.  Supporting classrooms and schools with available resources and personnel is a first step.  Providing appropriate training to help deal with mental health issues is the responsibility of district administration, in consultation teaching and support staff.  The School Board must support this through their budget process. The youth mental health crisis does not just happen at school.  Youth experiencing mental health challenges are going through difficult times in and out of school.  It is essential for the School District to work in conjunction with other local agencies to provide the services and support for youth when they need it.

Laurie Garret

Our school board has been a strong advocate for helping students with mental health problems by having school counsellors in both the secondary and elementary schools. In addition, we were able to get funding for a community outreach worker which has proven beneficial. Going forward I would like to see us strengthen our relationships with local service providers such as the Foundry and Child and Youth Mental Health to provide wrap around support for our students. 

Roland LeFort

A few things that we can do to help address this issue:

Emphasis on staff training to help identify youth facing mental health crisis early, and on implementation of programs to assist them Petition and apply for provincial supports and grant funding to provide more programs, supports, and staffing for at-risk youth Work with local support institutions to have more integrated help within the schools and/or create connections for students to have external support.

Jeff Field

The Board has been receiving grants from the provincial government to help address youth mental health issues. This grant money is distributed to schools for them to decide how best to use it. Workshops that encourage communication and group activities help to avoid isolation and depression. Workshops that talk about limiting screen time and educating students on social media dangers are also essential. The Board has also supported the need for a second elementary counsellor and a community outreach worker. As well we work with outside agencies to help the youth in our communities.

Christine Swain

As a counsellor I hear of the struggles young people have with their mental health and see many students unable to attend school consistently because of this. Connection to school is a protective factor for children and youth. Connection to the adults in their schools supports student mental health and overall well-being. As your school board trustee, I will advocate for increased resources, funding, and training for those who care for our children and youth through out the school day. These additional resources will support school staff in feeling confident and able to provide supportive environments within schools.

Leightan Wishart

Trustees cannot solve the youth mental-health crisis on their own, but we have an important role in ensuring that our schools are part of the solution. First, we need to make sure students have access to appropriate supports within the school system and that staff know how to identify students who may be struggling. We also need strong working relationships with community health and mental-health providers so students can be connected to services when their needs go beyond what a school can provide.

On the North Island, geography makes access to services particularly challenging. We need to advocate for services that recognize the realities of rural and remote communities. The recent expansion of Foundry services into Port McNeill, Alert Bay, Sointula, Woss and Port Alice, connected to Foundry Port Hardy, is an example of the kind of regional cooperation that can improve access for North Island youth.

We also need to recognize that chronic absenteeism can be a symptom of underlying issues rather than simply a discipline problem. Schools need to understand why a student is not attending and work with the student and family to address the barriers.

As trustees, our role is to provide leadership, establish priorities, allocate resources responsibly and advocate to senior governments for the resources our students need.