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The Mental Health Symposium
By Parnika Sharma
On May 1st, Turner Fenton held its first Mental Health Symposium - a conference promoting awareness of mental health issues and connecting students to community organizations involved with healthy living. The goal of this conference was to work towards minimizing the stigma of mental health around the school, as students struggling with mental health issues are unable to concentrate, maintain healthy relationships, or learn.
According to the Center for Addiction and Mental Health, 1 in 5 adult Canadians are affected by mental illness, with 70% of these issues arising between the ages of 15-24. Mental Illness is something that affects many people and this conference was just one of the steps taken towards developing a safe and positive environment at Turner Fenton, where students can be supported by friends, teachers and guidance counselors.
She continued, “The idea that kids can exist in isolation is dangerous because as much as they want independence, an adult voice is important for making clear choices”.
Events leading up the the mental health conference,such as the motivational sticky note writing in North Caf, helped raise awareness among students about mental health issues and simultaneously helped created a school-wide support system.
When asked what her goals for the future of Turner Fenton were, in terms of the campaign for mental health, Principal Stubbings responded that “This is just the beginning.The main goal is to have every student and teacher involved, so we can create a positive and caring environment where students are able to openly share, so that they can get the support they need”.
The conference involved interactive activities and workshops as well as a presentation by motivational speaker Ryan Porter. Even if a student did not suffer from a mental illness themselves, chances were they knew someone who did. The “Step in the Circle” activity was especially insightful. Students stepped into circles of their groups if the statement applied to them. It was interesting to see how many people had something in common with others, things that would normally be left unspoken. Mrs. Watson explained that the whole point of this activity was to show that although the students are unique to themselves, they are not unique in the way that they are the only ones affected by something.