• Commit to fostering your cultural humility. Start with knowing yourself and understanding how you show up to students and parents/caregivers.
• Lead with a positive mindset and set the tone for the school community by demonstrating empathy, kindness, and respect.
• Convey value to every student by greeting or positively acknowledging them and their parents/caregivers.
• Strive to understand the lived realities of students. It may be that you’re not from the community in which you’re working.
• Co-create learning spaces with students and parents/caregivers that value diversity.
• Notice how staff members speak about students and families and correct when necessary.

• Use welcoming language that promotes inclusivity, respect, and empathy. This includes providing information in different languages, using gender-inclusive language, and avoiding any language that may be discriminatory or offensive. (For example, as a staff, do you regularly review classroom materials and resources to ensure they are anti-racist and anti-oppressive?)
• Create welcoming spaces within the school. Intentionally seek out and remove barriers to physical spaces and learning environments. (For example, can all students access the school stage to perform or present during events?)
• Celebrate diversity and promote cultural awareness through events and activities that highlight the different backgrounds and experiences with students and their parents/caregivers.
• Create opportunities for students and parents/caregivers to engage in open and honest dialogue.
• Encourage educators to use learning materials to build identity and shared understanding by selecting resources that reflect the diverse composition of Canada in all classrooms, regardless of whether this diversity is reflected in that particular classroom.
• Use microaffirmations, small and subtle acts that acknowledge and communicate support, inclusion, and worth of marginalized individuals.
• Create and communicate clear policies and guidelines that promote a safe and inclusive environment for every student, staff member, and parent/caregiver.
• Work with students to establish shared expectations of the school and learning environments. Lean into what students need to feel comfortable.
• Identify and understand any barriers to creating mentally healthy learning environments. You can’t address issues of belonging or inclusion without an accurate understanding of the problem. Recognize that inequities aren’t always obvious – but this doesn’t mean they don’t exist.
  • Examine policies, procedures, traditions, and the school culture from a lens of equity and reconciliation.
  • Listen to and believe those who have experienced exclusion, and ensure that solutions eliminate discriminatory, oppressive, and exclusionary practices.
  • Cultivate a culture in which pointing out and challenging inequities and exclusionary practices is celebrated and appreciated.
• Be creative about fostering positive relationships (e.g., team-building activities, community engagements, events that bring families into schools).
• Keep equity at the forefront when planning any new initiative or program for the school. Design to meet the needs of the students and parents/caregivers who are most marginalized to ensure you meet the needs of every student.
• Consider the students and parents/caregivers you haven’t been able to connect with. What are the barriers and how can you address them? For example, consider when you schedule meetings. Who is not attending these meetings? Consider what the barrier(s) might be. Is there another way to meet with parents/caregivers or another way to engage them in their child’s education?
• Consider power dynamics and think about ways to minimize them as you strive to work alongside (rather than lead) students and parents/caregivers. For example, observe who does most of the talking during meetings. Who sets the agenda? Consider how you can create space for students and parents/caregivers to share and direct the conversation.
• Identify and deal with incidents of racism and all other forms of oppression and bullying (e.g., body-image bullying) swiftly, and support those affected generously.
• Offer the opportunity to create affinity groups to foster a sense of belonging and community among students. Affinity groups are voluntary gatherings of students who share a common background or characteristic – for example, a group for Black students.

• Build your mental health literacy. Consider taking the school administrator version of MH LIT or take part in activities hosted by your principals’ association such as podcasts and social media chats.
• Create opportunities for learning about mental health among school staff, including building in dedicated job-embedded professional development time when possible. As a school mental health leadership team, consider some of the offerings from your board’s mental health leadership team, adapting slides and resources for your staff team.
• Staff one-off presentations from guest speakers are less likely to have a sustained impact than “just-in-time” offerings delivered by school board staff members who understand school routines, pressures, and priorities. Such workshops prioritize small-group learning and application, to allow for differentiation and authentic application in the school and classroom.
• Don’t restrict learning about mental health literacy to staff meetings. These business/operational meetings are typically not ideal for covering mental health content, unless the school mental health leadership team explicitly arranges for a mental health series to take place in this setting.
• Mental health may be a difficult topic for some staff members. Follow an adult-learning model that appreciates the need for differentiation and support. Create opportunities for staff to seek support outside of the learning to avoid personal self-disclosure.
• Prioritize building strong relationships with students by taking the time to get to know them and their unique needs and backgrounds. Encourage educators to do the same prior to mental health learning in the classroom.
• As a school team, work to adapt offerings on mental health literacy to promote a positive and affirming learning experience for every student. Work with educators to assist with contextualizing the content for the students you serve.

• Prioritize mental health promotion in the school curriculum, integrating mental health education into all subjects and classroom activities.
• Together with the school team, plan activities around the school calendar and school day. For example, transition points in the day are a good opportunity for a grounding or breathing exercise. Activities that focus on relationship building and classroom commitments fit naturally at the start of the year or semester. Stress-management and coping activities, while helpful all the time, can be revisited during exam or test times.
• Create space for mental health promotion and deeper learning for parents/caregivers. For example, include mental health information on the school website, on display boards, in newsletters/communications, and on school council meeting agendas.
• Remind the school team about all the activities they currently do at school that promote mental health; for example, daily physical activity or movement breaks, outdoor learning, and service projects are good for mental health. Mental health promotion isn’t an add-on but is part of school life.
• Students are key stakeholders in mental health promotion. They have unique experiences that should inform initiatives on mental health learning to ensure that it reflects their lived realities. Create space for student leadership, voice, and agency through the establishment of mental health clubs and initiatives, supported by caring adults.
• Follow processes for decision-support related to mental health initiatives and awareness activities in schools and classrooms, such as speakers, mental health surveys, and peer-support strategies.
• Regularly evaluate and assess the effectiveness of initiatives to promote mental health, adjusting as needed to ensure that every student has the support they need to thrive.

• Provide opportunities for students and parents/caregivers to get involved in school activities and events. Observe who is attending school events/meetings and who is not. Be curious to understand the barriers or needs of those not attending.
• Create opportunities for shared dialogue and learning between schools and communities to promote understanding and collaboration. Invite community partners to promote their services at staff meetings, school or student council meetings, and school open houses.
• Consider connecting with parents/caregivers and community in locations other than school, in different languages, and at various times during the day. Promote community information fairs.
• Get to know the programming and supports available through community organizations that are relevant for student mental health and wellness. Consider whether they complement and support the efforts underway in the school.

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