Surrey Schools talks emotional health at Mental Wellness Day

Continuing Education district principal Daniel To with speaker and music producer Myles Anthony at last week's Mental Wellness Day. Anthony shared his inspirational life story and talked openly about his mental health struggles. (Photo by Daniella Vuksan)

More than 1,000 students from across the district filled the Bell Performing Arts Centre last Friday for the district’s first ever Mental Wellness Day, an engaging and educational forum for students to learn more about valuable community resources to better take care of their mental health.

The inaugural event was organized in collaboration with Fraser Health and more than two-dozen community partners, as well as with the district’s Community Schools Partnership, Safe Schools, Student Support and Education Services departments. The day coincided with the start of Mental Health Week (May 1-7), an annual campaign to raise awareness about mental health.

“It was really a collaborative initiative to support student mental wellness, with us all coming together as a community of care,” said school psychologist Coralee Curby.

“The core focus was on helping our youth in Surrey really understand and deepen their knowledge around mental health, as well as linking them to resources in their community that are champions of wellness,” said Meredith Verma, manager of CSP. “The function of CSP programs is to support the physical and mental wellness of children and youth, so it was a good intersection for CSP to help lift up this amazing work for all our kids.”

The day featured a morning elementary session for Grade 5 to 7 leadership students and an afternoon session for Grades 8 to 12. Both included panel interviews with representatives of community organizations, as well as a closing talk from Myles Anthony, a music producer who shared his inspirational life story.

“There were lived experiences where the panelists told their stories and connected with students,” said outreach worker Daniella Vuksan. “It was pretty much bringing all of the outside community resources we could think of to reach out to our students, families and caregivers under one roof with a welcoming feel.”

“The students really listened to Myles’ story of criminal involvement, substance use, and his journey with corrections – a few students went up to him afterwards and said, ‘What you said has changed my life,’” said Verma. “He struck a chord in all of our hearts, and he may have significantly affected the choices in some of our students’ lives.”

Following the presentations, students had the opportunity to visit information booths to learn more about resources in Surrey and White Rock, as well as potential career opportunities for those interested in working in mental health.

“Some of our older leadership students  learned there are different types of jobs out there to help others stay active and healthy and mentally well,” said Verma.

Curby said many students left the event with a feeling of excitement, and she felt confident the district will take it on next year with even more students in attendance.

“The hope is to continue to grow this as an event but also find ways to improve or create new opportunities for shared experiences and reduce the feelings of being alone,” said Curby.

The district’s Mental Health & Well-Being Students & Families page has numerous links to resources for mental health, including as a series of mental health animated videos for both elementary and secondary levels.