B.C. mental health toolkit aims to ease the transition back into school amid COVID-19

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – With most students in B.C. returning to class this week amid a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Stigma-Free Society is offering up a mental health toolkit to help ease the transition.

The toolkit is an online resource available not only to students, but to educators, school counselors, as well as parents and guardians.

“What we do at the Stigma-Free Society toolkit is we offer various downloadable resources, lesson plans, and tons of information just to help people stay mentally well,” explained society President Andrea Paquette. “It’s a pretty innovative and amazing way to create social, emotional learning for these young people, and help them manage their mental health.”

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She says young people have been hugely impacted by the ongoing pandemic, citing the disruption of their normal school and social activities as just a few major changes they’ve experienced over the past 18 months.

“We know that, after one year of being in this pandemic, that there has been a multitude of mental health issues for young people. We know that many are suffering, especially for the fact [that] when you’re young, your social circles, your friends, they’re everything to you,” Paquette told NEWS 1130.

“I know times are hard, I’ve even suffered myself being diagnosed with bipolar disorder many years ago, but we can get through our challenges, and it’s really important that we don’t give in and we don’t give up.”

The toolkit, as well as the virtual Stigma-Free Presentations Program, which was forced to move online due to the pandemic, are made possible by a $45,000 contribution from the provincial government.