#HearNowON 2024 – Student Opportunity
Join #HearNowON 2024 and be part of virtual focus groups where students can voice their mental health learning needs. Don’t miss this opportunity!
School Mental Health Ontario (SMH-ON), in partnership with the Centre for School Mental Health at Western University, wants to hear about YOUR mental health learning needs! Your perspective, as a young person and student, is crucial to making sure we’re providing school mental health resources and supports that make a positive difference for you.
SMH-ON is a provincial support team focused on school mental health in the province of Ontario. The Centre for School Mental Health’s mission is to address the need for improved school-based services for youth from kindergarten to grade 12 who may be at risk for, or who present with, mental health challenges.
Together, we have launched #HearNowON for 2024, an initiative with Ontario middle and secondary school students.
By sharing your perspective, you will help us:
- Gather ideas on how to build and sustain mental health promotion and knowledge.
- Hear perspectives on how school communities can adopt a reconciliation and equity-based approach to school mental health support.
- Understand what needs to be in place to support student leadership in mental health and wellness.
Virtual focus groups and online survey
We are hosting a series of virtual focus groups and an online survey from October to December to hear directly from students. The focus groups and online survey are open to students between grades 7–12 attending a publicly funded school in Ontario, with parent/caregiver consent.
There is an option to join a specific affinity space where students with like identities can share ideas together. The students can select from the following focus groups:
- African, Afro-Caribbean and Black students
- 2S/LGBTQIA+ students
- First Nations, Inuit, Métis (Indigenous) students
- Francophone students
- Newcomers or refugee students
- Students with special education needs
- General (open to every student who attends a publicly funded school in Ontario)
Additional Information
This is our third iteration of #HearNowON. This project started in 2019 with a community partnership. We launch this project every three years to ensure that the work at SMH-ON reflects the current mental health needs of students across Ontario.
We continue to be committed to centring student voices in our work on school mental health. We’ve been working hard to put what we heard into action. Here are some examples of our work:
- In #HearNowON 2021, students said they want mental health learning to be frequent, early, and varied. Since then, SMH-ON has developed modules to support mental health literacy for students in grades 7/8 and grade 10 across the province. We have also compiled grade-by-grade mental health promotion and learning ideas for K-12 educators through our Wayfinder resource.
- In #HearNowON 2021, students said they want stronger equity-based and culturally responsive mental health resources and supports. Since then, SMH-ON has continued to develop resources on equity, allyship, and mental health. We have also launched an identity-affirming school mental health framework. #HearNowON 2024 has put special focus on diverse voices, in response to what students have requested.
- In #HearNowON 2021, students said they want their teachers, parents/caregivers, and families to learn more about mental health. Since then, we have launched an Educator Community of Practice and the Parent and Caregiver Collaboration Group to hear from and inform continued learning for student mental health and well-being. We have also launched five resources to support and inform parents/caregivers. The resources will be made available in multiple languages to support reach to our diverse parent/caregiver audience across Ontario. We are currently working on a kit of mental health literacy materials to be shared with parents/caregivers through school boards next year.
These are only a few examples of how the results from #HearNowON 2021 have informed the work at SMH-ON. Learn more about #HearNowON 2021.
This is a research study approved by Western University Research Ethics Board, reference number 125187.
Apply
Contact us
For questions about #HearNowON, please contact Elo Igor, project coordinator, at eigor@smho-smso.ca.