Healthy Minds, Bright Futures helps with students' mental well-being

January 12, 2010

Jonathan Teghtmeyer
ATA Executive Staff Officer

Scenario

3:30 p.m. A school's hallways teem with students packing their bags and preparing for home. Friends gather to chat about the lineup on TV that night, to discuss which team will win the hockey game or whether photos from the school dance will be posted on Facebook. As the hallways empty a young girl walks slowly down the corridor, caught up in her own thoughts. The girl's face is sullen; she appears confused. She pushes away a strand of loose hair and looks around as though searching for help. Her science teacher appears and nearly passes her by when he catches a glimpse of the student's withdrawn look and, with three simple words, lets the student know that she's not alone.

"Can we talk?"

This dramatization and two others like it will run on Global Television from January to May as a result of Global joining the Healthy Minds, Bright Futures partnership. Now in its second year, the program is a partnership between the Alberta Teachers' Association, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in Alberta and now Global Television; its goal is to promote the mental health of children and youth.

ATA President Carol Henderson says teachers are concerned with the well-being of their students and the ATA wants to raise awareness of the issues affecting them. "Teachers are in an important position when it comes to the mental health of their students," says Henderson. "We see them every day in a very social environment—we may notice behaviours that are signs of deeper underlying problems."

Ensuring that teachers have resources to help them recognize early indicators of mental illness so that they can direct students to assistance programs is one of the goals of the Healthy Minds, Bright Futures program.

Again this year, copies of Compassionate Classrooms along with the "Can We Talk?" poster series will be sent to all schools in Alberta. The www.canwetalk.ca website will be operational in early February and will provide additional resources and assistance for students or teachers who are dealing with issues related to mental health. Additionally, CMHA representatives will be present at the ATA booth at many teachers' conventions.

ATA locals are also getting involved in the program by staging events in their communities. Edmonton Public Teachers will again host a golf tournament to add to the nearly $5,000 they raised last year to support the Edmonton region of CMHA, and Calgary Public Teachers will host a board game fundraiser later this spring. Chinook's Edge Local is working with its CMHA region to sponsor kids at summer camp, and Trumpeter Local will be promoting mental health through physical activity with its elementary students.

For more information, contact Jonathan Teghtmeyer at Barnett House, in Edmonton. Telephone: 1-800-232-7208 (toll-free across Alberta); e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .