Wellness Empowerment Program: Introduction to the Calgary Board of Education

June 2014 1
Program Background
The Wellness Empowerment Program (WEP) started in 2008 as one of nearly 40 mental health
pilot projects in Alberta, funded by Alberta Health Services. The goal of the project was, and
continues to be, to increase the capacity of schools, families and communities to build positive
mental health.

Mental health is more than the absence of illness or disorder. As defined by the World Health
Organization, mental health is defined as "A state of complete physical, mental and social well-
being, and not merely the absence of disease". As evidence-based practice shows, a student
cannot be in his/her optimal zone of learning if they are unable to manage mental stressors
that may be present. As such, families and schools need to understand what these stressors
could be and students (along with their surrounding communities) need to have the awareness
and skills to manage mental health and ultimately strive for success in all areas of their life.

Over the past 6 years, the project has grown and developed, as outlined below. In 2008-2009,
our programming was primarily focused on meeting the needs of individual students. This
meant we were seeing students on a referral basis, providing intervention services. Between
2009 and 2011, we broadened our services to include more group (i.e. targeted to at risk
students) and classroom work with students and began providing consultation and training to
school staff. Parent sessions were running on a limited number of topics. In 2011 we were
granted another three years of funding, which came with a new mandate: to provide no less
than 85% universal mental health programming within classrooms, across whole schools, and
within the greater community. Therefore, from 2011-2014, we have been less focused on
individual and small group needs. Instead, we have shifted towards working more with entire
classrooms and grade-wide curricula, school-wide programming, and parent and community
outreach as it relates to mental health promotion. While we may see drop-in students who
need to talk or provide supports to students who are in crisis, we do not carry a caseload of
referred students and have a network of community organizations to refer students and
families to should this need arise.

For the 2014-2017 funding cycle, our mandate has again broadened to include new areas of
community and to enhance the communitys capacity to support and promote mental health.
Moving forward over the next three years, we see ourselves evolving into a mental health
promotion team for the greater Calgary community. While we have become specialists in
mental health promotion in schools, we are more than able to expand this work into the
greater community and include previously untapped sectors, such as other school boards and
industries. Our goal is to expand mental health promotion from solely school-based
populations, and look at teaching families and the community that mental health starts from
birth and continues throughout our lives. We believe that we can foster discussions around
mental health promotion in all environments and sectors, using our knowledge of culturally
sensitive practices, evidence based practices, and meeting populations where they are at. Given
the patience and strategy it took to make mental health an everyday household item in our
Wellness Empowerment Program: Introduction to the Calgary Board of Education
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current schools, we are confident that our skills and knowledge will translate well into
supporting others in having similar conversations.

Services Currently Provided
WEP provides a wide range of services, including but not limited to:
Student drop-in/self-referred groups on identified topics (i.e. social skills, leadership,
problem-solving, emotional expression, etc.)
Classroom programming/curricula (i.e. Stop & Think, 7 Habits, Who Do You Tell?,
culturally sensitive sexual health education, Superflex, respectful relationships, Beyond
the Hurt, etc.)
Teacher/staff training and professional development on a wide range of topics
Interactive parent workshops
Facilitation of partnerships between schools and existing organizations
Consultation with administrators to create a strategy to build and/or enhance mental
health capacity for students, staff, families and communities
Providing information and practical tools to those interested in promoting mental health

Methodology
Our project is based on a universal methodology. This means that we strive to ensure that our
programs reach as many people as possible, and that they are useful to the population we
serve. Our programs are based on needs assessments (i.e. consultations with schools staff and
parents, student surveys, networking with additional professionals and service providers, etc.)
and also consider the specific requirements of the population we work with. While we do bring
our own ideas and programs, we strive to work in partnership with schools and communities to
ensure the goals of both are being met. In other words, we are flexible and open to new ideas,
which will help us to promote mental health at a universal level. The end goal of our work is
that schools (students and staff), families and communities are better equipped to promote and
enhance mental health for their population, even beyond WEP involvement.

Benefits for Students, Families, and Schools
Improved mental health and academic outcomes for students
o Personalized student awareness of positive mental health skills, strategies and
tools
o Greater awareness and accessibility to community resources
o Improved academics and overall wellbeing as a result of improved mental health
Increased parental involvement in student well-being
o Parents will be equipped with information and tools to support their children
and families
Wellness Empowerment Program: Introduction to the Calgary Board of Education
June 2014 3
o Use the schools as the hubs to engage parents and support their work in
supporting their children
Enhanced awareness and skills of school staff
o Greater skills and tools to mentor students towards achieving positive mental
health
o Staff awareness of community resources will facilitate accessibility of students
and families accessing these resources
Partnerships and access to resources
o Schools will have access to community agencies for programming and resources

2014-2017 Goals & Mandate
1. Core Business - Capacity Building
Increase the communitys capacity to promote the development of positive mental health and
wellness in its children, youth and families using schools as hubs.
Goal:
By 2017, identified schools (as outlined in the project approach) will be utilized as a community
hub for diverse mental health and wellness initiatives, including but not limited to workshops,
professional training sessions, after-school programs, resource libraries, social activities, and
community events/gatherings
2. Programming/Service
Increase access to evidence-informed universal mental health promotion & prevention
programming.
Goal:
By 2017, WEP and community-based mental health promotion services will be increasingly
accessible to the Calgary community at large, by the way of providing professional
development, training, materials, toolkits, and building connections between children, youth,
and families with evidence-based mental health programming.
3. Mentorship
Establish effective mentorship opportunities for adults who interact with children and youth.
Goal:
By 2017, individuals working with children, youth and young adults within WEP supported-
programs will demonstrate the knowledge, strategies and skills required to implement and
maintain a successful mentorship model.
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June 2014 4
4. Community Engagement
Advance an integrated approach to promoting mental health and preventing mental illness
among community partners, government, schools and industry.
Goal:
By 2017, WEP will facilitate greater community connections and partnerships (i.e. between
WEP and agencies, between agencies, and between schools and agencies) to reach the
collaborative or integrated stage around mental health promotion and prevention in the wider
Calgary and area community.
Tentative Proposal for WEP at CBE
The following is a tentative outline of the order of events that would facilitate WEPs work at
identified CBE schools.
Task

Notes Timeline and Delegation
1. Identify high schools and
elementary schools in Areas 2
and 3 that would be
supportive of mental health
promotion

Forest Lawn High
School
Lester B. Pearson High
School
James Fowler High
School
Crescent Heights High
School

Marlborough
Elementary School
(pre-etablished
relationship)
Valley View School
(pre-established
relationship)
Other identified
schools?

By mid-June, schools
should be identified
and agreed upon by all
parties
2. Set up meetings with
school administration to learn
about WEP, mental health
promotion, and preliminary
brainstorming around
programming

Meeting with
Principal, Assistant
Principal, and other
parties from the
school
By the end of
June/school year
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June 2014 5
3. Once programming has
been brainstormed,
determine collaboration
requirements, WEP staff
delegation and FTE allotment
Potentially, each
school would receive
around 0.5 FTE (1/2
day each week) of
WEP mental health
promotion time
Either recurring on a
weekly basis at the
school for the length
of the school year, or
for a pre-determined
amount of time,
depending on
programming

The allotment is
flexible to each school
and doesnt include
parent workshops,
preparation time for
programming,
consultation and staff
professional
development, etc
4. Create service agreement
between WEP and CBE school,
outlining programing to be
provided and logistics, as
determined above
Catered to each CBE
school in which WEP
will be present
To be reviewed in the
spring of that school
year

Sameera and CBE
stakeholders
Preferably before the
fall or shortly after
school starts again in
September
5. WEP to begin mental health
promotion at identified school

Begin with
introduction to staff
and purpose of WEP
Outline of
programming at
specific school and
resources available to
teachers
Initiation of
programming and
services at the school

Ideally staff are
introduced to WEP
during orientation
week
WEP present in
schools starting in
September for
programming
6. Ongoing assessment of
program efficacy and
implementation of
programs/services to meet
demand from students, staff
and families
Feedback from
students and staff
Consultation process
with stakeholders
Input from community
agencies/partners
present in the school


Sameera to facilitate
meeting between WEP
success coach, school
administration and
CBE stakeholders
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June 2014 6
7. Year-end review and
feedback; planning for the
following year and new
service agreement drafted
and signed

Ensures that WEP is
responsive to school
and community needs
All stakeholders
involved in planning
and implementation
process

Sample of Potential Programming at CBE
Elementary Schools (all have a teacher training component and classroom materials to
implement programs)
Stop and Think: a classroom brain-based program that teaches students how to
independently problem solve; regulate emotions; build empathy towards others;
identify strengths; etc.
7 Habits of Happy Kids: a curricula that teaches children critical social-emotional skills
that they can carry forward with them
Superflex: a social-thinking curriculum aimed towards enhancing cognitive-
behavioural techniques for children around problem solving
Parent sessions around identified topics, such as Kids Online: Internet Safety, parenting
workshops, etc.
High Schools
Drop-in student groups around youth identity, culturally sensitive sexual health
education (to be offered for those students who do not have consent to attend CALM
classes), gender roles and media stereotypes, dealing with family pressures, identifying
values, supporting positive mental health, etc.
Parent sessions around above mentioned topics, to ensure transparency and carry-over
of information into the home
Teacher professional development around identified topics
Support Requirements for WEP at CBE
In order for this partnership to have the best possible outcomes, and to support the team in
providing these services to the schools, we require the following:
A consistent contact (in additionto the Diversity Team) who would serve as a liaison
between the WEP team and the school (i.e. administrator, guidance counsellor, resource
teacher, staff members, or a combination thereof)
A Go-To mental health team at the school that act as mentors to school staff around
mental health promotion (i.e. administrator, 2-3 teachers, 2-3 educational assistants,
and WEP success coach).
Wellness Empowerment Program: Introduction to the Calgary Board of Education
June 2014 7
Attendance at our advisory meetings with funders (2-3 times per year)
Opportunities to consult with school staff (PD days, staff meetings, etc.)
Shared space which WEP and partners can use
Participation in outcome measures (i.e. pre/post evaluations, surveys, etc.)
Genuine interest and time allotted to mental health promotion

WEP Contact and Information
Sameera Qureshi, MScOT (c), Project Coordinator
Cell: (403) 605-8990
Email: SameeraQureshi@renfreweducation.org
Success Coaches: Nicole Dixon, Jaime Goodison, Nicolle Plumb, Monika Profeta