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91ƵUnder high pressure91Ƶ: B.C. students organize Mental Health Day

Grade 12 students want to see mental health services become more accessible
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Volunteers from Semiahmoo Secondary school are pictured on the school91Ƶs Mental Health Day, which students and counsellors brought back after a pandemic-related hiatus. (Contributed photo)

A group of Semiahmoo Secondary students from South Surrey have brought back Mental Health Day to their school, breathing new life into an event that had been on hold since the start of the pandemic.

Working together with school counsellors, six students organized this year91Ƶs event, which took place Tuesday, Feb. 28 in the library during the lunch hour. The entire school was invited to participate.

Displayed throughout the room were informative posters. There were areas designated for participants to de-stress by playing games or painting. Counsellors and non-profit organizations shared techniques to handle stress and anxiety, including breathing exercises and more.

91ƵMental (illness) is a very relevant and ongoing issue that goes under-addressed in multiple settings, including schools where most of us spend (a lot) of time throughout the week,91Ƶ said Catherine Jiang, a Grade 12 student at Semiahmoo who co-organized the event.

In order to make the day a reality, the students researched youth mental health to find ways to 91Ƶembody different ways of practicing healthy self-care practices and also just shining a light on the necessity of taking care of your well-being.91Ƶ

Bringing Mental Health Day back to the school was important for Jiang and her team, who said resources for people their age are not easy to access. Having school counsellors is great, she added, but enhancing services could benefit more students.

91ƵBefore diving into this project, I didn91Ƶt really have too much contact with mental health (services) because it isn91Ƶt something that we really bring up often.

91ƵStudents are under high pressure, whether that91Ƶs academically or trying to juggle school, social and family life. I think that91Ƶs not spoken (about) enough.91Ƶ

The event drew large numbers of students, with the library 91Ƶpacked91Ƶ for most of the event.

Early start crucial

91ƵWhen schools do days, like Mental Health Day, that91Ƶs great, but it91Ƶs not sustainable,91Ƶ said Andrew Baxter, a registered social worker who works with the province91Ƶs educators through the University of British Columbia91Ƶs faculty of education mental health institute.

91ƵHow do we have this sustained in the school community or school culture? The way to do that is to change school classroom practices. Our belief is that if you put this right next to math, if you build this into curriculum91Ƶ then that really reduces the stigma91Ƶ you open pathways to care, you improve help-seeking and it normalizes it for youth.91Ƶ

Onset of about 70 per cent of mental illnesses happens between the ages of 12 and 25, but education about mental health should begin earlier than that, Baxter added. He has trained educators in most school districts in B.C. to recognize when students may be struggling and refer them to services that can provide appropriate next steps for that student.

Some students require more community support for the issues they face, while others need psychiatric care or 91Ƶa higher level of service,91Ƶ Baxter said, adding that differentiating between the two is the job of trained professionals and should not be put on educators.

How the pandemic has affected youths91Ƶ mental health is still not completely known, Baxter said.

91ƵSome of the stigma has, thankfully, diminished. People are talking about (mental health) a lot more, so the symptoms of disorders have gone way up, we know that. But there is a big difference between reported symptoms and actual disorders. It91Ƶs probably a good thing that students are reporting to us that they91Ƶre stressed out and they91Ƶre experiencing big stressors in their life. That91Ƶs reduced stigma and that91Ƶs a positive.91Ƶ

More accessibility the goal

While Jiang and the other Grade 12 students who organized this year91Ƶs event are expecting to graduate soon, she hopes that the event will continue and that services for youth will become more accessible as years go on.

Mental health struggles can be hard for young people to recognize, Jiang said, because symptoms of stress or anxiety are so common amongst her peers that they may not even realize they could benefit from support.

Jiang hopes the school implements 91Ƶmore concrete ways for students to give feedback to administration and also to get involved in the subject of mental health91Ƶ because it is constantly evolving and students should have more of a voice in the matter, she said.

91ƵThe youth are asking for this, they are requesting more knowledge on this,91Ƶ Baxter noted.

Schools in the province are progressing, he maintained, but improvements and enhancements are undoubtedly needed.

91ƵWe need an upstream approach and a bit of an on-scene approach, so we need more counsellors and we need more service providers and school91Ƶs a logical place for that to be delivered because they youth are there,91Ƶ Baxter said.

Last month, Lizanne Foster, first vice president of the Surrey Teachers Association told Black Press Media that some elementary schools in the Surrey school district only operate with one counsellor a week because of staff shortages.

91ƵSo you91Ƶve got a kid in distress on a Monday morning and there is no help until the counsellor comes, maybe on Thursday or Friday. Then when the counsellor comes on the one day, we have (a backlog),91Ƶ Foster said.

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Sobia Moman

About the Author: Sobia Moman

Sobia Moman is a news and features reporter with the Peace Arch News.
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