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We don’t provide mental health advice, counselling, or treatment. If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact your local community crisis team. You can also reach out to the Indigenous Hope for Wellness Help Line 1-855-242-3310, the Black Youth Helpline 1-833-294-8650, or Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868.

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Fostering Supportive and Responsive Spaces for Student Engagement and Leadership – Building mentally healthy spaces through co-created agreements

This resource is designed to help school staff foster supportive and responsive spaces for student engagement and leadership through co-created group agreements and guidance on addressing instances of harm in student spaces.

Why are group agreements important?

Connectedness is a powerful protective factor in mental health and is essential in creating mentally healthy schools. One way to build connection while supporting student engagement and leadership is to co-create group agreements. Building agreements with both staff and students signals to young people that their voices matter and that they have shared agency and responsibility for creating and maintaining a supportive space for every participant.

How might I use this guide?

This resource is intended to be used as a guide for co-creating group agreements alongside students. While the strategies in this guide are developed with student mental health spaces in mind, they may be applied in multiple settings and situations.