Mental Health Week is in May - an important time to focus on staff and student mental wellbeing.
The week of May 5th to the 11th is Mental Health Week in Canada. This year, the Canadian Mental Health Association’s theme is “Unmasking Mental Health,” highlighting how we can all unmask mental health together. National Child & Youth Mental Health Day (May 7th) is also marked this week, recognizing the significant mental health needs of children and youth in our country.
It's important to help people look past appearances and understand the whole person. Unmasking Mental Health is a call to action for all of us to remove our masks, and help others do the same, as they feel safe to do so. Masking takes a lot of energy, can lead to isolation, and a loss of self-identity. It can also impact a person’s self-worth and can cause feelings of emptiness and shame. Most importantly, masking may prevent people from seeking help when they need it.
The Comprehensive Health Promotion Department has developed a Mental Health Week Toolkit for elementary and secondary schools. The toolkit contains school and classroom activities, announcements, and social media content that can be adapted to meet the needs of your school community.
The resources can be download from our website.
The toolkit includes:
- School-wide and classroom resources for educators
- School announcements and social media posts
- Mental wellness calendars
- Activities to do at home with parents/caregivers
- Links to mental health supports and resources
For more mental health supports and resources visit our mental health web page.