“Do something today that your future self will thank you for.”

That message, scrawled on a graffiti board at a Student Wellness Forum on May 18, clearly captured the importance of the day’s discussions in informing the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy and Action Plan for current and future generations of students.

“Basically, you are here to have your voice heard,” explained Mitchell Barlow, one of three student moderators tasked with leading the first-of-its-kind event. Close to 100 Grade 7 and 8 students were invited to the Mancini Nicholas Centre to weigh in on what’s working, from a student wellness perspective, and what is not.

The forum was not only designed for students, but was completely student-led. Moderators included Barlow, Student Council President at Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School, Juliana Giannini, Secretary of the Student Council at Cardinal Newman Catholic Secondary School, and Domenic Rodriguez, a Grade 7 student at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Elementary School and a member of the Minister’s Student Advisory Council (MSAC). Another 17 secondary students served as table facilitators.

“You’re here because there’s a lot of adults who make some really important decisions for our school board and for our schools,” Barlow told the elementary students. “Sometimes they’ve got to make decisions for the students and they’re not one hundred percent sure what the students want, so what better way to find out what the students want than to ask you guys.”

The Student Wellness Forum was organized by Mental Health Lead Jennifer Fortino to “facilitate student voice and engagement specific to wellness and mental health promotion within the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board.”

Emphasizing that student wellness is a key focus for the board, Chairperson Patrick Daly suggested that forums like this are more important than ever.

“First, I am absolutely convinced that we are living in a very different environment than people my age grew up in, and we need to understand that reality much, much better than we do.”

“And secondly, we need to listen. As adults, we need to do a much better job of listening to the people most directly impacted by our decisions, and that’s you,” said Daly.

He said that while educators have done a good job of identifying strategies for youth, it’s critically important that they hear from the students themselves.

“I encourage you to speak freely in the pursuit of the truth,” Daly encouraged the student representatives.

The forum was divided into elementary and secondary sessions over two-days of discussions: May 18 for elementary students and May 24 for secondary.

It’s an important distinction, said Director of Education David Hansen, explaining that while elementary students were at the table at past forums, they may have felt overshadowed by the older students.

“This is both an opportunity for elementary students to speak openly, and for it to be heard,” he stressed.

He told the students that it was not by accident that the adults were seated at the back of the room. “That’s clearly, clearly sending you a message: it’s time for us to step back and to listen.”

“What you say today – and that’s why I say get it on the table today – it’s going up and will be put in the ears of those at the highest decision-making levels of the board.”

Indicating that feedback on mental wellness from previous student forums “matched up pretty perfectly” to a draft plan put together by the board, student moderator Juliana Giannini said input from students not only reinforces the work of the board, but helps it to develop a plan and policy for mental well-being.

“So that’s the power of student voice and that’s what all of you are capable of doing here today,” she said.

Noting that the health and well-being of children in their middle years has a huge impact on “their ability to concentrate, learn, develop and maintain friendships and make thoughtful decisions,” (MDI – Why the Middle Years Matter) moderator Domenic Rodriguez explained that students need the right environment – one that is equitable and inclusive – “so you can develop and learn and get better.”

“And this is why mental health matters and we’re talking about it because it doesn’t just matter in high school, when you’re a middle school student it matters just as much.”

Over the next several hours, the students took part in brainstorming sessions which focused on two main questions: What is Wellness? And how can schools and the board continue to support mental well-being? Through group shares and dotmocracy (a voting and rating system), the students identified their “big ideas” along with what they felt should be ‘continued,’ ‘started’ and ‘stopped’ for each of the questions.

Healthy living was by far the biggest of the ‘big ideas’ with students connecting healthy bodies with healthy minds. That translated into healthy eating, staying active, getting enough sleep, enjoying healthy relationships, striking a healthy school-life balance, and having a positive general attitude.

“Mental health and wellness is pretty much managing all your stress and building good relationships with others that help you live a healthy life,” said one team. “For example, having good friends, have someone there for you to talk to, to balance school and relationships and extra-curriculars, being able to manage stress well, and make good decisions.”

Other big ideas included providing mental health workers, therapists and guidance counsellors in elementary schools to support and counsel students on school, career and life choices.

Strategies for schools and boards to consider were increased opportunities for Christian Meditation, daily Physical Activity, Christian service, and staff training in the area of Mental Health. Students also asked that DPA and gym not be taken away as a punishment or to make up for school assemblies, and that alternate teaching methods be considered to accommodate students with different learning styles.

“The suggestion for what we could do in our school board today is indulging in discussions where students can recognize their strengths and passions and abilities, and really focus on students’ mental health so we can come to a conclusion and help students to better improve themselves,” said another team.

“One thing we need to remember is even if students have mental health differences, we’re all the same,” offered one of the student facilitators. “We’re exactly how we were intended to be made and we were made in the image of God.”

Citing the positive impact of prayer and Christian Meditation, he added, “We need to continue that, so that student support and extra-curricular activities are more focused on God.”

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The 2018/2019 school board budget, approved by the Board of Trustees on June 19, included provisions for 2.3 mental health workers in secondary schools for early identification and assessment and improved timely referrals to community mental health services, as well as new support for academic transition and career/pathways planning for Grade 7 & 8 students. The budget also maintains support for existing programs and initiatives, including mental health and wellness resources and awareness training and professional development for staff, Christian Meditation programs, and school-based funds to support in-school professional learning focused on student in risk situations and support for transition activities and events.