Creation of mental health hub announced at Powell River Board of Education meeting

School District 47 has developed a mental health resources hub.

At the November 17 board of education meeting, superintendent of schools Jay Yule said the development is part of school district planning in having discussions around mental health, not only for staff, but also for students and parents, and how it is being supported. Yule said there is anxiety and not everybody knows where the resources are.

“So, it’s really how we can help get this information out to all of those groups so they are aware of what kinds of resources are there,” said Yule. “That’s what this project is about.”

Director of instruction Allison Burt said there had been lots of discussions with union presidents, administrators and others in the district, wanting to address mental health and wellness features that are present not only in this community, but provincially and nationally, especially with COVID-19.

“There’s lots of questions around where to find support, what supports are available and trying to get through the mental health features that are available in the system,” said Burt.

She said there are individual things people can do for their own self-care and wellness. She said the initiative is also to make people aware of the group or organizational pieces that are in place, such as the mental health grants available to schools.

Burt said the intention is to put the resource hub on the school district website. She said there will be clickable links to actual programs for people.

“We’re talking about all stakeholder groups,” said Burt. “We want teachers and staff to access it, we want parents and students to access it, and people in the community can even access it. It’s all in one spot.”

Burt said one column in the listing will be about educating people about mental health and wellness; the second column will be about taking care of one’s positive mental health. When intervention is required, there will be a listing of where people can go. There will also be sample wellness activities that teachers and students can do on their own.

“We’re really trying to identify all three levels at the same time,” said Burt. “So, what are we doing individually, what are we doing as a class, and what are we doing as a school district?”

Chairperson Dale Lawson asked about the timeline for launching the hub. Burt said it was almost ready, so it was expected to launch the week of November 22. She said it could also be highlighted in the school district’s social media. The schools have Instagram pages where the hub could be highlighted, according to Burt.

Yule said the school district has the ability to push information out to all families and all students.

“When we started having this conversation, there were a lot of resources out there, but people didn’t seem to know about it,” said Yule.

Burt said the hub is a way of creating a one-stop shop for people who are possibly feeling overwhelmed.

The mental health resources hub can be found by going to the school district’s website at sd47.bc.ca and clicking on the programs and services button.