Kids in Classroom

By Regan Tate

The Beej Project supporting more mental health supports for local students

Sep 29, 2022 | 9:38 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Students in Medicine Hat will have more access to mental health supports thanks to a new partnership between the College and local school boards.

The Mental Health Enrichment Project was created in response to COVID-19 and the long-term impact the pandemic has had on students.

It was identified that early intervention is key so this project seeks to identify and connect students to appropriate levels of mental health support. It’s hoped that by taking action early it will reduce the need to access higher levels of support later in life.

Strategies focused on mental health enrichment will be rolled out across the Medicine Hat Public School Division (MHSPD) and Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education (MHCBE) later this year.

MHPSD will add resources to enhance the capacity of their existing social-emotional learning team, enabling the delivery of more social-emotional learning to increase mental health literacy amongst staff and students.

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“Part of the funding will be used to weave the delivery of social-emotional learning curriculum into the requirements for fourth-year education practicum students at MHC, building this important work into their practice from the ground up. This community partnership gives us the opportunity to share resources and achieve more as a collective; giving us the space to focus meaningfully on the next generation of teachers, while adding to the best practice of those already in the classroom,” says Tracy Hensel assistant superintendent of student supports.

For preservice teachers studying at MHC, the opportunity to be involved with the project enhances their capacity to educate and support students as soon as they enter the classroom. “We know there are significant mental health needs in our community, and this collaborative approach will benefit students now and into the future. Our preservice teachers will graduate with a practical understanding of the curriculum and the ability to integrate this critical component into their own classrooms to support student wellness,” explains Lorelei Boschman, education program coordinator at MHC.

$75,000 from the Brandon Niwa Legacy Fund (The Beej Project) is being used to support this initiative.

Led by MHC, a community advisory panel including Medicine Hat Public School Division, Prairie Rose Public Schools, Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education, and Medicine Hat Police Service, oversees the direction of the fund, which provides a variety of educational and research opportunities around mental health to our community.

“MHCBE is very thankful for the support of The Beej Project in enhancing our universal mental health promotion and education,” says Hugh Lehr, MHCBE associate superintendent learning services. “Sometimes you never know who may be struggling with their mental health, so heading upstream and delivering education and strategies to all our students will have the greatest impact.”