Today, I’m glad to be on this land where we can all meet and talk about the ways we can improve the schools on this land and the land on which we all reside on. As a visitor to this land coming from the traditional Anishinaabe territory, I come with respect and willingness to learn about the Indigenous cultures that originally occupied this land and who continue to teach us about their culture and values.

From a website called the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, I found a value that the Haudenosaunee nations carried through their life, and it said that the nations of the Haudenosaunee believe that we borrowed the Earth from our children’s children, and it is our duty to protect it and the culture for future generations. All decisions made now are made with the future generations who will inherit the earth in mind.

I thought it was important to share this because I believed it to relate to what we are doing here today. We are working together as a team to make the world a better place for the generations yet to come. It is our duty to set the path for the people of the future so that they can continue to change the perspectives and experiences of their generation.

The Seven Grandfather teachings were the first thing I ever learned about the Indigenous culture, so they hold a dear spot to my learning. And I thought it was also fitting to talk about today as they are teachings from the original stewards of this land. It is important that we reflect on the teachings: respect, bravery, honesty, humility, truth, wisdom, and love because it will allow us to improve our students’ well-being.

We need to respect every student and staff member, which includes their backgrounds, their feelings, their experiences, their opinions, and their call to help. We need to be brave because the subject can be difficult to talk about, but being brave is what will make a difference. We need to be honest about the situations and experiences of students of Ontario. There can be no hiding. We need to show humility. What we have tried in the past were great for steps in an unknown territory, and now we can take what we learned from the past and put it to good use. We need to tell the truth, because how do you change something and truly fix a problem without tackling the truth of the situation? We need to put all of our wisdom together while being fortunate that we get the privilege to do so. Lastly, we need to remember why we are doing this. It is the one thing we all have in common: the love we share for making students live a life that deserves to be lived.

As we gather here today, I’d like to bring special awareness to the special experiences and perspectives held by Black people within Canada. Although the struggles of the Black community have played an important role in the formation of all it has grown to be, I also want to pay special attention to its triumphs and successes.

Throughout time, the African Diaspora has overcome diversity in order to become the beacon of culture, talent and love it is today. From freedom to free forms and direct to dialects, the Black community has evolved to become an unapologetic symbol of resilience and empowerment.

One such evolution comes in the form of our hair. Beautiful coils tightly wound into spirals of hope. Our hair has been a point of contention for centuries on end. Where we were once shamed for our natural features, whether that be our hair or our skin, Black people have grown, broken through, and reclaimed these important pieces our our identities back for ourselves.

For all the Black boys and girls whose hair was deemed too tough, too rough, or too black, I want to acknowledge the bravery and embracing your hair for all that it is. The bravery in rejecting western beauty standards in favour of our beautiful black hair bestowed upon you by generations of resilient minds.

Our hair, whether in braids, locks, twists or curls, is a symbol of resistance against the direct and systemic oppression we face every day. So the next time you see a girl like me, even with hair as bright as mine, understand that it is a statement. I am here. I am not going anywhere.

I want to start by asking each of you to take a look around the room for a moment. Within this sea of people, imagine your own place. A single chair in a crowded room, a check mark on a guest list. Now imagine you’re a student in a small class of only 30 students, in a school so big you don’t even know all the people in your graduating class, in a board so huge you couldn’t even put a number to it. Just like that, one student can become something less. A number, a file, a statistic. How much can one thing matter in a sea of other things, anyway? I’ve asked you this because I’ve noticed a pattern in discussion of mental health, which is an emphasis on numbers. Phrases like “90% participation rates” and “in every single school” can sound like great achievements, but what do they mean on an individual level? What does a mental health support available in every school mean if those supports aren’t equitable to every student? Who can support staff in all our schools’ help if they lack the resources and infrastructure to do so? It’s so easy to find yourself lost in the numbers of who and how many that we can forget the what and the why. Why is this needed, and what can we do to help? My goal here is not to devalue all the incredible progress we’ve made as a whole, but instead to remind you of what we should find most important. In everything we do, our biggest priority should always be impact. How does everything we do actually serve our communities. Serve people? So the idea I want to leave you with today is as follows. Mental health is a topic that is incredibly personal, and so should the way we address it.

Hello, my name is Alexandre and I am an 11th grade student at the Provincial School of the Consortium Centre-Jules-Léger Provincial School, in the blindness and low vision program. Today, I am going to talk about the impact of having mental health resources accessible in the school environment. Have you ever been invited somewhere, but once you get there, you feel like no one really wants you to be there?

It’s not necessarily that they’re not nice, but rather that they’re indifferent to your presence. When you have a difference or a disability, and an activity, lesson or service isn’t accessible, that’s how you feel. I’m lucky because at my school, accessibility is a high priority. Everything is adapted for me, so I can participate in the wellness committee, the GSA club, the cultural committee, and know that I’ll be able to participate without barriers.

When we have a difference or a disability, our experiences are unique. When a resource is not accessible, we don’t have the opportunity to share these experiences, and this moment of rich learning for others is lost.

To ensure that all of the clubs and activities at my school are accessible, visual and non-verbal content is described in audio description. Written content is available in Braille, enlarged and digital formats. Socialization can be a challenge when you are blind. However, there are ways you can integrate socialization into your services.

For example, I went to a FESFO training course recently, and many of the activities took place in small groups. People were encouraged to say their names and pronouns as they spoke, and everyone was encouraged to share ideas and participate. It made me feel more included and allowed me to forge real bonds with the other participants.

If we always took the time to encourage people to say their name before taking the floor and we had the chance to get to know each other in small groups, it would promote inclusion for everyone. People with disabilities spend a lot of their time learning how to navigate a world that isn’t accessible, seeking accommodations and advocating for our needs and rights. If everyone took a fraction of this time,

to learn how to adapt to my needs, life would be much more equitable for me. At my school, there’s a blindness program, blind-deaf program and deafness program. I participate in the club and committee with my deaf colleagues. Thanks to interpreters and certain adaptations, we’re able to communicate, collaborate and build friendships.

If we can overcome the biggest barrier of accessibility, there is no reason why a student should feel excluded from their school community.

What I want you to take away from what I’ve shared today is that being inclusive isn’t just about inviting someone to the table. It’s about believing they belong and making sure that they feel that way.

Thanks so much, folks.

So this morning we spent a lot of time talking about some of the higher level pieces with mental health literacy and some of the new kind of modules that are coming out.

We’ve also heard from some of our incredible students about the personality, the personal, and the relationships that are involved and necessary in mental health.

And so we hope that this next section will also help to bridge some of those.

And we know that there’s a whole lot of people in your communities who have the knowledge, capacity, and interest to help bring some of these pieces to life.

So for the next little bit, we’d like to take a moment to talk about student engagement.

So we want to talk about why engage students.

Meaningful student engagement at school is a primary protective factor for students’ overall well-being.

Research shows that outcomes for students include reduced stigma of mental health issues and assessing services and supports, and increased mental health literacy, mentorship opportunities, experiential learning opportunities, and skill development, increased self-esteem and self-confidence.

On a personal note, I know how important student engagement is to make you feel involved in your school community.

Not only does it allow you to enjoy your education journey, but it gives the student control in the situation where they feel they have none.

So when we’re thinking about staff, schools, and systems,

student engagement provides opportunities for enhanced information and understanding of students’ needs and wants, and it also provides new perspectives and decision making, creative solutions, and improved relevancy of programs and services.

In my personal experience, I know how many times I’ve gone to ThriveSMH with a question, a problem, confusion, and the amount of times that students have shared a brand new solution I’ve never thought of – a new direction, a new pathway, a new idea.

I leave those meetings feeling energized and with a new sense of direction.

In Hear Now Ontario 2021, students told School Mental Health Ontario they want leadership opportunities to be more accessible to every student and create space for different leadership role styles.

Students want diverse leadership styles to be recognized and supported by offering various opportunities for leadership roles.

Students would like greater representation in mental health initiatives to encourage participation amongst diverse students.

Students want opportunities to learn and practice new skills to support their leadership and participation.

In Here Now Ontario 2021, seventy percent of students also shared that they wanted to be involved in mental health initiatives.

We spent some time this morning thinking about mental health literacy and ways to bring it into the classroom.

Consider how students can help to support these goals.

Might some information be better received from a peer than a staff member?

How might you work with students who have discovered a new passion or learning in this area to act on their knowledge?

So as many of you know, back in the winter, we launched the Student Engagement Toolkit.

First, I want to share a huge thank you to all of those involved, from those that were a part of the working group, sharing examples, developing and leading webinars and implementation.

It was such a huge undertaking, and I want to share my deepest appreciation for all of the efforts that went into it, both from those folks that are currently in this room and those that are on the ground working today.

The toolkit is a series of shorter resources, and we’ve done this intentionally to ensure that it is an evergreen resource.

With your feedback, including the insights shared in today’s sessions, we will continue to grow and deepen the toolkit to better meet your needs.

The toolkit is also broad.

It’s meant to inspire and prompt thinking.

Many folks in many different roles have responsibility for creating caring conditions for student engagement and for engaging students, and we hope that these folks can see themselves in this toolkit.

In the toolkit, we define student engagement as an ongoing process that centres every student’s lived experience and voice, positioning them as valued experts to influence the outcomes that affect them.

This requires critical reflection from school and system staff to dismantle imbalanced relationships and uplift student voices in mental health planning and programming.

To add context to this definition, we will now move into a panel discussion.

For question one, what does student engagement mean to you?

I’m going to pass this on to Daunte.

Is this on?

I just want to introduce myself really quickly.

She:kon Daunte yónkyats 16 na’tewakaohseriyá:kon, Ojibway niwakonhwentsyò:ten.

My name is Daunte Hillen.

I’m from Hamilton Wentworth District School Board.

I’m a grade 10 student.

And I’m the Shakowennakara:tats for the school board. So the Indigenous Student Trustee.

So I’ll get to the questions now.

So to me, student engagement really refers to the level of engagement, interest, and interaction of students both inside and outside the classroom environment.

And this looks very different for every student as not all opportunities line up with where students are at and their specific needs at that very time.

Oftentimes, students, based on their lived experiences and backgrounds, may not always feel these opportunities are safe and healthy for them to engage in.

This, alongside various other barriers that present themselves in these.

This is where educators, administrators, and school boards have a chance to improve on these topics to ensure that it best suits the needs of students.

Every student should have the right to actively participate in events with zero barriers and with the appropriate supports to ensure that full participation is a reality.

Thank you, Daunte, very much. That was a beautiful introduction.

I’m going to now pass the question to Kirin.

Hi, everyone. I’m Kirin. My pronouns are she/her.

I’m from the DPCDSB, and I’m in grade 12.

So when I’m asked to envision what student engagement is,

I picture a space that is founded on connections with youth that gets them excited and willing to participate, not only in clubs and in their class learning, but within the school community as a whole.

It is an inclusive, accessible, brave space that takes input and feedback from students to understand their interests.

It is open to all types of learning styles and abilities, where students feel safe to share their viewpoints and learn from each other.

On to the next question.

When you think of good student engagement, what do you see?

What is needed to make it happen?

I’m going to pass this to Audrey.

Yes, so my name is Audrey.

I’m in grade 12, and I’m part of the New North District School Board.

So, since the subject of mental health is still pretty new and fragile for many people,

when I picture good student engagement on a general level, I imagine students simply talking about it.

I see students supporting other students who have put time and effort into making mental health initiatives.

In another scenario, maybe a little bit in the future, I imagine many students going beyond just talking about it.

I imagine many students always collaborating and giving ideas as to how they can improve their school’s perspective and environment.

In this scenario, people who do put effort into making a difference do not ever feel scared or embarrassed for helping others in this aspect because it is something that many students contribute to.

As to what is needed to make this become a reality, the answer is the staff.

Teachers have an incredible influence and impact on their students, many of whom are role models for their students.

The reality is that everyone struggles with their mental health at some point in their life, and usually this happens during the years of high school.

Many of the students know it exists.

They just do not know how to express their thoughts about it, in addition to if they even should.

If teachers simply talk about it, more students will know it is okay to talk about it.

There’s also a fine line between staff members talking about it with students and coming off as though they care, but they’re not putting in the effort to support the students who want to make a difference in their school.

In addition, more often than not, there are students who want to make it – Sorry, there are students who want to become involved in a club or project for mental health, but then they hear other students talking about how they don’t feel supported, so it deters them.

In the end, for the best outcome of student engagement, it all comes down to feeling supported and heard.

I’m now going to pass it over to Daunte.

Thank you very much.

I don’t even know if it’s on.

Oh, whoops.

Quick shout out to David and Rahil.

So what I envision when I think of good student engagement and the environment is an identity-affirming environment where all students’ input is valued and heard and without the presence of tokenism.

Because in reality, that’s something unfortunately very present in our boards.

And understanding that all students have unique experiences and that we all come from different places, whether that be our journey of how we got here, our travels, geographic location.

And it is really important to make known and understood by our educators and outlined in our curriculum to ensure safety and accessibility for students.

I’m now going to pass it over to Kirin.

To me, an important part of student engagement is reaching out to students and having follow-ups with them.

I myself have had a few instances where I’ve spoken up at school about me needing support from school resources to help my adjustment from coming back to school after spending three years of isolation online.

Advocating for myself was a big step for me, and I was comforted by the fact that teachers empathized with my experiences and said they would do their best to support me.

However, I have often felt that I was given false promises or was forgotten due to my request of needing help not being followed through.

Asking for help is an intimidating process and can be a big deal for students like me who are still learning how to speak up for themselves.

Due to what I’ve experienced, it gave off the impression that what I asked for was not important enough when I needed more than just surface-level acknowledgement.

As someone who struggles with anxiety, I don’t always have the courage to ask for again and go through the strenuous process once more.

This is a prime example of staff who have the power to take action who need to check up on students rather than assuming the issue is resolved.

For question three, we have: share a time when a staff member made you feel seen or helped your idea come to life.

What exactly did they do?

I’m going to ask Kirin to answer first.

Okay, so I have a few examples.

At my school, I work as the sole student mental health and well-being champion, which in short is an amazing role where I get to promote well-being events and strategies.

Being the only student with this role, it can be very taxing, especially when you’re considered the voice of all the students at the school, on top of balancing schoolwork.

The only person to help me within the school building, other than a couple of teachers here and there, was my school social worker, who has given me the space throughout the whole year to navigate the role as the well-being champion my way.

As a student with limited resources and funds, she’s helped me with organizing school events, helping create announcements, and encouraging me to try new things, picking up where I leave off because I’m so busy with schoolwork.

She understands when I’m hesitant to do something, like taking on more work, or saying an announcement I’m not comfortable with.

She gives me the space to say no and understands that I have boundaries.

She demonstrates that student engagement can be a two-way street.

In order for a student to feel connected, sometimes they must have an equal amount of power and have their boundaries be respected.

As well, I’m also an executive member of my school’s magazine club.

During the summer, my friends and I had it all planned out and proposed it to a teacher who didn’t even know who we were.

Initially, it was difficult to negotiate what the vision of the magazine was going to be because the teacher thought it would be a promotion of all the arts classes at school.

But us, the students, were thinking of something completely new where people would combine personal art together and direct photo shoots.

When she gave the students the power, that’s when the magazine blossomed and came to life, allowing them to share their own voice that wasn’t controlled by the school’s vision.

It allowed students to have their own voice and platform and is an example of giving students opportunities to take action themselves while being there as a teacher to support them if they need help and facilitate what they wanted to do.

I’m going to pass it on to Audrey.

A time when a staff member made me feel seen and helped my idea come to life was when I talked to my adult ally who already knew that I was having trouble with getting attention regarding mental health from other staff members.

She simply listened to my idea, asked some clarification questions, asked some next step questions, and most importantly, she helped me get to that next step of talking with the principal, because at least in my school, that was where the final decision lay.

This last step is extremely important because often students have the will and determination to help their school environment, but just as often, these students and their initiatives are never shown to their school and community because students do not have the same power that staffs do.

Students cannot do anything without support and action from the staff.

So to see concrete change in the schools, we need staff members to not only listen, but to act on it as well.

And our last question is, as a student, how do you get other students to become involved and participate?

I’m going to ask Daunte to answer first.

Thank you very much for that question.

And so as a student, some ways that I engage my peers to actively participate is to look to student leaders who started groups and clubs that positively support the student school environment.

Also acknowledging that all of our students are student leaders and any opportunity to hear their voice is valuable.

And so, using that advice, I am then able to explain to my peers and demonstrate the importance of the presence of student voice and leadership in our school environments.

Most sustainable causes are rooted in student engagement.

Therefore, by inviting more students in these causes, I truly believe that our society is benefiting from it.

A crucial part of student engagement is belonging.

When us as students don’t feel invited or that we belong in these spaces, our engagement and input will cease to exist, then causing the creation of more barriers and possibly even the degradation of our school environments.

And a specific example, one I am very proud to participate in, is the OSTA-AECO conferences.

So I was in Toronto a couple weeks ago, and that’s such a valuable time for professional development because I’m then able to go hear all the stories and take in the professional development.

And then I’m able to go back to my school board and convey the message to students from my school all the way to the director and the executive council.

And I think really being able to speak on an equal level to my peers and being around the same age is something that’s so important.

I’m honestly excited to have the opportunity to share with my peers because we’re not always heard.

And a lot of times, they feel empowered to see other students stepping into these spaces and speaking, knowing that we weren’t always invited to these spaces.

But now there are conferences like these where I’m able, and all of us are able, to share our experiences and such valuable input.

Thank you.

I’ll now pass the question to Kirin.

To engage students, I think it’s helpful if activities are kept during school hours and places they enjoy to hang out.

My school social worker and I prepared some yoga after school, but we only had two students show up.

While it was still rewarding and even impactful to just have even those two students, it clearly was not engaging enough for them to participate.

When we adapted from that knowledge and we put the activities during lunch in our school’s cafeteria, making calm-down jars and buttons. It was flourishing, and so many more students got to benefit from the mindfulness activities, which was really heartwarming to see.

We got many requests to create more events like those.

And similarly, back to the magazine club, when we were trying to get students to participate, we ensured that they could submit a variety of mediums like photography, visual arts, all the way to poetry.

And although they were structured activities, they gave students enough room to make it unique to them and share their authentic voice, which is an important part of student engagement.

And I’m going to pass it off to Audrey for our last opinion.

The most important things students can do to get others to become involved and participate is to show the reality of the situation.

It is important that students see the realness of mental health, because like I said before, they all know it to be true because of what has happened in their own life or the lives of others close to them.

They just do not want to be the odd one out.

It will give students a touch of reality that mental health is a part of everyone’s life.

Then it will persuade other students, not only that their call to speak out is okay, but also that it is crucial to help others see as well.

An example would be when there was an unfortunate event that happened at my school, but because it was so real, ever since this event happened, students in my grade have been posting on Instagram content related to mental health, such as how you are not alone on struggling, ways to cope, signs of different mental illnesses, et cetera.

It is the most acknowledgement of mental health that I’ve seen from my peers, and it is quite unfortunate that my school had to go through a difficult situation to see the importance of mental health.

But it is what makes people realize that we all need to work together to fight through this battle.

So going back to how students can influence others to participate, it all goes back to the personal touches, sharing passion, empathy, and real stories about people their own age, because students will be able to relate to those shares a lot more than you realize.

The biggest problem that humans face regarding mental health is how we feel like we are alone in what we are struggling with.

So hearing that you are not alone not only helps people feel better about themselves, but it can also persuade them to want to join other students trying to help others see this as well.

I would like to talk about another experience I have personally had, which is how it can be scary speaking out about the subject, which sometimes seems ironic to me because I’ve been an activist for mental health for many years now.

So I understand that mental health is not bad, but nevertheless, I still get nervous speaking about it because there’s still the stigma associated with it.

My advice for students is to take that risk of speaking out because although it can be nerve-wracking, just know that you are doing the right thing.

Many people will never be able to speak out for themselves or others.

So even when you feel like the other students do not care about what you were saying and doing for the other students, know that they actually do care.

They’re just too afraid to say or do anything about it because it can be a scary topic.

Always remember that you are doing the right thing by speaking up, and even if your efforts are reaching only one person, that is still one life you are still helping.

In summary, to get other students involved, help them understand the reality of mental health and illness, share personal stories, and encourage open discussions.

This approach helps break the stigma and fosters a supportive environment where students feel comfortable participating and helping each other.

Thank you.

In the school environment, classroom teachers teach according to the provincial curriculum. At its core, the program is effective in meeting educational needs, but it is often insufficient when it comes to mental health due to the lack of specialized training or due to educators’ lack of knowledge and experience regarding students. Simply put, if I went up to a teacher right now, I would almost never talk to them about my own personal life or about mental health in general. To share a point of view of a friend, lots of things are said, but not a lot of actions are really ever taken. There is also a taboo, where people don’t want to speak to their teachers, right? But despite these issues, a school environment can transform into a positive influence where students may feel more comfortable to share their situation.

If we put it this way, the reputation of a place doesn’t shape how you’re going to feel. No, it’s the people that build it, it’s the people that work there. So it’s the same thing for schools. If you give teachers a sense of responsibility and a sense of trust with students, they’re going to feel more comfortable. Just because you’re in a building doesn’t mean it’s going to be instantly bad or something.

Integrating mental health training into the education that teachers receive can help to support students, reduce stigma, and help them foster academic and personal success among students. They need to be more visible to and in sync with the students they teach, in order to eliminate the disconnect or insensitivity between the educator and the student. To give another example, we have the impression that they offer “support” because they have to, and not because they want to. I think that students should collaborate with other students on these initiatives.

Considering the overall lack of experience in mental health issues, it is essential to create an environment that is conducive to early identification and creation of strategies. Teachers and school boards can play an important role in this regard. For one thing, they can provide accessible information about mental health. Fun fact, I checked the entire school. There is zero posters of School Mental Health Ontario in the entire school. There’s three floors and there’s like 500 students, but no posters. What? You can have regularly scheduled workshops to keep educators up to date on best practices in mental health support.

You can set up systems that allow students to send their comments or disclose a mental health problem. You can also give students a way to lead awareness campaigns on mental health, which promotes networks for peer support, and give them a way to discuss their mental well-being and quickly identify any problems that arise.

If I had my own experience coming up to a teacher and I felt comfortable, I would be happy. I would stay in that school forever. But as of now, where are we right now? I would say we’re more focused on what’s on paper and not what’s right in front of us. We’re not focusing enough on the student and teacher relationship because we may have a difficulty understanding that every student in a school may be unique.

And as we said before, Toronto is very much different than somewhere in Thunder Bay. So sometimes you may have to adapt your strategies. By prioritizing mental health engagement and equipping educators with the necessary tools and training, schools can better support students’ holistic development by fostering an environment in which discussions about mental health are normalized and addressed in an adequate way. The combination of training, resources, efforts and collaboration can create a support network that improves students’ well-being and academic success.

Thank you so much.

My university sweater came in yesterday. UPS delivered it fast, like a nod to my new beginnings and a heartbreak to my old goodbyes. My name is Lillian Keys Fraser. I’m a Grade 12 student at Trillium Lakelands District School Board and a proud member of ThriveSMH. And this is my last time on this stage. But before I go, before I pass the microphone for the very last time, I want to look back at all of you and know that the future is bright and ready for change. I don’t have a lot of time left here, but neither does the system. So here’s what I’ve learned from the incredible students and adults I’ve worked with for the past four years and the people I’ve met on my incredible journey for the past seventeen. Because we’re never really alone in the way we feel. It only feels lonely when we let people believe they are alone. Number one: I am not a number, nor is my identity. We could spend all day in fancy boardrooms discussing calculus curves for the rest of our lives. And well, it has a place. It’s not always first. In my life alone, numbers have bounced around my file. I’m sure I made a good statistic and by second grade, paperwork started coming home. While those numbers told my teachers I needed help, it was not the numbers that provided it. It was connection, collaboration, and support. Listening to who I was and what I needed. As Gwen so wisely put it, mental health as a topic is incredibly personal, and so should the way we address it. Students are not a box to be checked, but a person to be built. Number two. You are my spark. Students aren’t a fire that needs to be fed but kindling that needs to be ignited. Student engagement is the act of helping students find what match will inspire their fires. As Dante said, student engagement is identity-affirming, but only if it is without tokenism. But we still need you. You create the spaces, and the sessions, the connections and the conductors. The system is broken and, while important to recognize, I don’t see it as an excuse, but as an opportunity to fix it. As Audrey told us, it’s the personal touches. Humanity over hierarchies. Find the students with missing fires, whether first in the class or last. Without your platform to invite students to give feedback, providing funding for student-led projects or inviting leadership in space is often ignored, we will never find our matches. Number three: you will always have my microphone first. It is useless to pretend that students will win the power fight. They’re not meant to. We need you to teach, to direct, and to facilitate. But don’t mistake our youth as young. As Kirin called it, without boundaries, there is no power for students. Your power is meant to be shared, meant to be facilitated. As a system, students’ voices or more talked about than listened to, talked down to instead of met at their level. Like Summer reflected, giving control where students feel like there is none. They are capable as long as the action you give is met with support and connection. Finally number four: the lesson I want to leave with you today, because, as I’m putting on my new sweater, there is a peacefulness knowing that all of you want to do something. But you’ve got to do it. Students aren’t asking for perfection. We’re looking for connection. It’s okay to get it wrong the first time, as long as we learn to apologize and be comfortable knowing that we may need to try again. Doing something, or asking something, not perfect, is better than waiting for the perfect moment. Because as students, we just need for you to ask. Whether the question is awkward or not quite right, it could save a student’s life. And so, from system to student, I’ve played both sides. And I’ve learned there is one thing they don’t tell you about senior year. Sure, senior year is like the Hollywood movies: independence, Prom, epic parties. And yeah, they weren’t lying when they said it was hard. Grade 12 exams, planning your future, figuring out what you want to do with your life. But what they failed to include is the bittersweet lasts. This year I had my last school rugby game, my last school dance, and soon, the last time I will be given a platform like this. This is my third year and my fourth Provincial Leadership Meeting. And I would like to close this chapter of my life the same way I started it, with a poem I wrote for my first virtual PLM. It was grade 10 and the pandemic senior year, but I think it’s just as relevant today. So what I ask of you today when I pass the microphone for the last time and put on my brand-new sweater for the first: We can continue to work together to both teach kids how to swim, while we all learn how to float. It’s titled, “Life Jackets.”

The kids are not okay, but they’re self-aware.

Cliché, isn’t it?

In 2020, we were learning how to swim and by 24, we’re not quite there.

We were in the shallow end or the warm pool.

Our toes could still touch the liner, but just enough.

We could push.

We could lift our feet off the ground and learn to swim.

We could read our papers and books and listen to what our teachers taught.

But it wasn’t shortly after this when we were pushed into the deep end.

Papers and all the papers were soaked, and the computers broke.

And we could no longer touch the bottom of the pool.

Kids didn’t and don’t know how to swim.

But before we teach kids how to swim, we must give them life jackets.

See, when we hit the deep end,

When we hit the deep end, we could no longer touch the bottom, and we began to drown.

It was too late to swim back.

What we need is to float.

Ears below water, can’t listen or learn.

But you must be their life jacket before we teach them to swim.

Let’s warm up the water so we’re not as cold, and open our expectations.

Listen to their voices and rewrite the ways we learn how to swim.

Our pool has waves.

Some people’s waves are bigger than others and they just need a life jacket to stay above and breathe.

Others just need to float.

So throw them like jackets before you teach them to swim.

We all need to float, so let’s give it a whim.

With ears below water drowning and all, let’s take a deep breath before the fall.

So be their life jacket, paper and pen.

Wisdom and learning, caring and then.

We know we can’t swim, but we can no longer float.

We can no longer learn until we float.

Thank you.