Apply to join ThriveSMH!
ThriveSMH (Thrive School Mental Health) is School Mental Health Ontario’s English-speaking student reference group. It is a group of passionate students from across Ontario who work with SMH-ON’s team to make sure that they understand the kinds of support students want and need at their schools and boards.
What is ThriveSMH?
ThriveSMH is a group of passionate students who work alongside School Mental Health Ontario (SMH-ON) to help with developing and sharing mental health promotion resources and supports that will resonate with young people.
ThriveSMH members are change-makers! We support the SMH-ON team on a variety of projects related to improving student mental health and reducing stigma. We’re committed to supporting equitable school mental health and culturally appropriate and responsive resources. For SMH-ON, it’s important to work with students because it makes the resources, they create more relatable and helpful for students.
ThriveSMH and Pros’pairs SMS members work closely together and have similar roles. ThriveSMH is in English, and members are from English-language school boards. Pros’pairs SMS is in French, and members are from French-language school boards. If you’re interested in joining Pros’pairs SMS, click here.
Diversity is a source of strength
We recognize diversity as a source of strength. We welcome and encourage students with identities that have been historically disadvantaged, oppressed, and marginalized, including those that self-identify as Black, Indigenous, racialized, newcomer to Canada, a person with a disability, diverse bodied, and/or 2S/LGBTQIA+ to apply.
To support the mental health of every student in the province, the ThriveSMH team aims to be diverse and honour diverse experiences on the team. Our identities and the intersections of those identities shape our unique perspectives and ideas. These help us to better create resources for students across the province.
What you’ll need
Before completing the application, it’s important to keep in mind the requirements for the role.
You must be a student in grade 6 to 11 attending a public or Catholic school board/authority in Northern Ontario or Toronto. We are focusing on these regions as almost of the students from these regions currently on ThriveSMH are in grade 12 this year and will be leaving us next year as they transition out of secondary school.
Northern Ontario and Toronto region school boards:
- Algoma DSB
- District School Board Ontario North East
- Huron-Superior Catholic DSB
- James Bay Lowlands Secondary School Board
- Keewatin-Patricia DSB
- Kenora Catholic DSB
- Lakehead DSB
- Moose Factory Island District School Area Board
- Moosonee District School Area
- Near North DSB
- Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic DSB
- Northeastern Catholic DSB
- Northwest Catholic DSB
- Rainbow DSB
- Rainy River DSB
- Sudbury Catholic DSB
- Superior North Catholic DSB
- Superior-Greenstone DSB
- Thunder Bay Catholic DSB
- Toronto Catholic DSB
- Toronto DSB
An interest in mental health and well-being
- Interest in sharing ideas about how we can best support student mental health
- Interest in helping to create mental health resources that bring awareness, support, and reduce stigma around student mental health
Time commitment
- Monthly 2-hour full team meetings, taking place at the end of each month
- Additional time or meetings dedicated to projects that you sign up for (the time commitment for each project will vary and depends on the project, these might be between 1-5 hours a month)
- You are expected to serve for a minimum of one school year (June 2024-June 2025)
Access to technology
- Access to internet and a computer, laptop, tablet, or phone for ThriveSMH Zoom meetings. Zoom meetings are not recorded.
- An email address
- Ability to download and use Discord for communication with fellow ThriveSMH team members and leads
Why join ThriveSMH?
- Make a change: an opportunity to work to reduce stigma of mental illness, promote mental health and help-seeking in students across Ontario
- Connect with other passionate youth from across the province
- Enhance leadership and communication skills
- Gain advocacy and volunteer experience
- Receive volunteer hours and honoraria (e.g., gift cards)
- Receive a reference letter from SMH-ON for future jobs or post-secondary education
- Have fun!
Opportunities within ThriveSMH
There are several subgroups within ThriveSMH that members can join, but you do not need to join one of these groups to be a member on ThriveSMH. These are some additional opportunities for students that might be interested. These teams meet about 1-2 times a month, outside of regular ThriveSMH meetings.
Communication team
This team is all about spreading awareness and information about mental health through different forms of media (e.g., Instagram, visuals, graphics). Check out our Instagram page @ThriveSMH!
Equity team
This team collaborates with SMH-ON’s Team to develop, inform, and/or support various projects related to reconciliation and equitable student mental health. This subcommittee also supports discussions on reconciliation and equity within the ThriveSMH full team.
Operations team
This team helps ThriveSMH run smoothly by setting up meeting dates, developing surveys to gather information, and supporting team spirit and relationship building. If organization and coordination are your strong suits, this may be the right team for you!
Various working groups
Smaller groups are sometimes created to work on specific projects. We’ve had the opportunity to work with many organizations including Catholic Principals’ Council of Ontario, Harvard, Wisdom2Action, and more!
Want to learn more? Come to our Open House!
We will be hosting two open house events over Zoom on April 18 and 24 from 5-6 pm EDT. You do not have to come to both – the same information will be shared at each open house. These will give you a chance to meet some members of the team, ask questions, and learn more about what we do.
April 18, 2024
April 24, 2024
Apply Now
Parent/Caregiver consent is required to complete this application.
The deadline to apply has been extended until May 8th!
FAQ
What is a student reference group?
“Student reference group” typically refers to a group of students that provides feedback, input, or insights on various aspects of the student experience. In the case of ThriveSMH, this group of students provides feedback, input, or insights related to student mental health. Students share with SMH-ON’s team their perspectives to help inform SMH-ON’s work. For example…
- Members of SMH-ON’s team come to a ThriveSMH meeting and ask questions they have about a particular project. Student’s responses will be used to shape the project.
- ThriveSMH members come up with a new project to help promote mental health. SMH-ON staff help students carry out the project.
- ThriveSMH members join a working group to help inform and carry out a SMH-ON project.
What do ThriveSMH members do?
ThriveSMH members help with developing and reviewing resources, share student perspectives, support or lead mental health promotion initiatives, and more!
What if I don’t know a lot about mental health?
It’s helpful to have a bit of an understanding of mental health before you apply to make sure that you feel comfortable discussing it during the meetings. Understanding mental health is a great place to start. If you’re selected to join ThriveSMH, we will also have an orientation meeting where we dive deeper into what mental health is.
More questions? Come to one of our open houses to ask us directly! Or you can email Alina at amedeiros@smho-smso.ca.
