Making the Connection - Student Mental Health - Association of Atlantic Universities

Presented by the Association of Atlantic Univerities (AAU) in partnership with Medavie
Mount Saint Vincent University, Rosaria Student Centre, Multi-purpose Room
Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Program

Conference Moderator: Dr. Elizabeth Cawley, Medavie Healthy Campuses Coordinator, Association of Atlantic Universities

8:30 am
Registration/coffee

9:00 am
Opening Remarks
Dr. Julie McMullin, Vice-President, Academic and Provost, Mount Saint Vincent University
Patty Faith, Director, Corporate Communications and Marketing, Medavie

9:15 am
AAU Healthy Campuses Initiative Highlights
Dr. Elizabeth Cawley, Medavie Healthy Campuses Coordinator, Association of Atlantic Universities

10:00 am
Pathway Through Mental Health Care for Post-Secondary Settings Highlights
Dr. Yifeng Wei, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University

10:45 am
Nutrition break

11:00 am
The Healthy Campuses Showcase
Presenters:
Anne Comfort, Director, Accessibility and Student Wellness, Mount Allison University
Erica McGill, Director, Health, Counselling & Accessibility, Acadia University
Darren Steeves, Owner, Vendura Wellness and Adjunct Professor, Dalhousie University
Dr. Donna Hardy Cox, Associate Vice-President (Academic) Students, Memorial University of Newfoundland

12 noon
Lunch

12:45 pm
Keynote Speaker: Donovan Taplin, Vice-Chair (TC), Canada’s National Standard for the Mental Health of Post-Secondary Students

1:45 pm
Break

2:00 pm
Trends in Youth Mental Health: Introductory Remarks
The Honourable Stan Kutcher, Senator, ONS, MD, FRCPC, FCAHS

2:30 pm
Moderated Panel Discussion
Moderator: Clancy McDaniel, Executive Director, StudentsNS

Panelists:
Dr. Elizabeth Cawley, Medavie Healthy Campuses Coordinator, Association of Atlantic Universities
The Honourable Stan Kutcher, Senator, ONS, MD, FRCPC, FCAHS
Donovan Taplin, Vice-Chair (TC), Canada’s National Standard for the Mental Health of Post-Secondary Students

3:30 pm
Where Do We Go From Here? Next Steps

3:45 pm
Wrap-Up and Final Thoughts

A Multi-Stakeholder Summit
Presented by the Association of Atlantic Universities (AAU) in partnership with Medavie Health Foundation

McInnes Room, Dalhousie Student Union Building, Dalhousie University
May 12-13, 2015

Making the Connection events in 2012 and 2013 identified a commitment to develop collaborative approaches to student mental health within and among post-secondary campus communities in Atlantic Canada, utilizing the support of a fully-engaged corporate partner – the Medavie Health Foundation.

The feedback from participants in these two valuable conferences identified recommendations to ensure future events were hands-on with actionable agendas that could lead to the development of a sustainable plan for collaborative planning, implementation and evaluation of a systemic post-secondary mental health strategy for Atlantic Canada.

This two day interactive event is designed to bring together:

Post-secondary students, faculty (including researchers), and staff
Leaders from the Atlantic Provincial Divisions of the Canadian Mental Health Association
Local and provincial government, community agencies and NGOs representing the determinants of health and well-being (including education, justice, labour and economic development, culture and diversity, and health sectors)
Funding agencies

Facilitators from the British Columbia Healthy Minds | Healthy Campuses Initiative will support participants to:

Take stock of current issues and initiatives
Identify gaps and opportunities
Define priorities (including resources for action)
Develop a model to support ongoing knowledge exchange, mobilization and collective action
Prepare to implement the model

The expertise and energy of summit participants will lead to innovative, sustainable and impactful collaborative initiatives across the region – a model that supports knowledge exchange, mobilization, and collective action leading to healthy minds and healthy campus communities.

Summit Objective:
To strengthen conditions that support greater collaboration between individual post-secondary institutions, between other sectors, and with community organizations in support of improved post-secondary student mental health in Atlantic Canada.

Summit facilitators:
Jonny Morris, Senior Director of Policy, Research, Planning, Canadian Mental Health Association, British Columbia Division (CMHA BC)
Shaylyn Streatch, Coordinator of Healthy Minds | Healthy Campuses, Canadian Mental Health Association, British Columbia Division (CMHA BC)

TUESDAY, MAY 12: DAY 1

Welcome and Greetings

Host: Dr. Richard Florizone, President, Dalhousie University
Greetings from the Province of Nova Scotia: The Honourable Leo A. Glavine, Minister of Health and Wellness, and Seniors
Welcome from the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs:
Mr. John G. Paul, Executive Director, Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs

Opening Session: Mentally Healthier Campus Communities – A Case Conference
Facilitator: Jonny Morris, CMHA BC
   This plenary session is designed to be a flip on the traditional critical incident response team case conference whereby we will be shifting the gaze from the individual student to the broader campus context.
   Through a series of interactive questions, case conference panel members will be asked to think out loud together about their take on the kinds of conditions and factors that create and support healthy campus communities, which in turn help students to thrive and reach their full potential.
   A student response panel will then have an opportunity to provide their reflections on the themes they heard emerge during the case conference discussion.
With a student-centred focus, this panel will help launch the collaborative process underpinning the Summit activities.

Case Conference Discussion Panel
Mr. Reid Burke, Executive Director, Canadian Mental Health Association, PEI, Atlantic Region Representative
Dr. Elizabeth Church, Vice-President, Academic, Mount Saint Vincent University
Dr. Rice Fuller, Director, Counselling Services, University of New Brunswick
Dr. Aimée Surprenant, Interim Associate Dean of Science, Memorial University

Student Response Panelists
Kayti Baur, Equity Officer, StudentsNS
Alexandra Heighington, Vice President, Communications, University of Prince Edward Island Student Union
Candace Simms, Student Assistant, Memorial University
Lee Thomas, Founder, #MyDefinition, Graduate, University of New Brunswick

Keynote: Catalyzing Change from Within: Harnessing Collaborative Action to Promote Campus Mental Health
Jonny Morris, CMHA BC
The context of the higher education institution presents a unique opportunity to take collaborative action in response to the complex phenomena of mental health, harmful substance use, and suicidal behaviour within campus communities. Building upon the existing rich capacity for teaching and learning in campus communities, a collaborative response holds promise for positioning local wisdom, context-driven solutions, and strategic relationships in leveraging campus mental health promotion efforts.
This address will take you on a brief fieldtrip to BC’s Healthy Minds | Healthy Campuses Initiative where we hold space for students, campus professionals, faculty, administrators, and community organizations to identify locally relevant priorities and take action together through learning and dialogue. We will then return to the local, exploring how the collective expertise, intelligence, and energy within Atlantic Canada can contribute to a strategic response to campus mental health.
This keynote will prepare participants for collaborative action on the mental health challenges faced by all in post-secondary environments in Atlantic Canada.

Mental Health and the Transition to Post-Secondary Education: Making sense of a confusing time
Dr. Stan Kutcher, Sun Life Chair and Adolescent Mental Health and Director World Health Organization Collaborating Center, Dalhousie University

Planning for Action: Using Post-Secondary Student Mental Health – Guide to a Systemic Approach to Take Stock and Step Forward
Facilitator: Shaylyn Streatch, CMHA BC
This dynamic session will use a facilitated World Café process to help Summit participants take stock of existing strengths and opportunities within the Atlantic Canada post-secondary and community context in relation to student mental health.
The session is framed by the question “What does mental health and wellbeing look like on campus and how do we get there?”
Through a series of World Café conversations, Summit participants will develop an understanding of the national framework Post-Secondary Student Mental Health – Guide to a Systemic Approach, and will use the document to:

Analyze the current state of actions supporting student mental health in Atlantic Canada on campuses and in community (Now);
Establish what might be possible to continue, strengthen, and innovate in the area of improving student mental health by campuses and community partners (Wow);
Determine what next actions are possible (How);

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13 – DAY 2

Taking the Summit Pulse (Case Conference Reconvenes) Panels on “How are we Doing so Far”
This panel session will reconvene opening plenary panel members from Day #1 to provide reflections and comment on the Summit process so far. Feedback from the panel members and other Summit participants will help to link the dialogue from Day #1 to the upcoming Open Space session.

Open Space Introduction
Jonny Morris, CMHA BC
Participants will be invited to pitch a topic for discussion, seek guidance from their colleagues, propose future collaborative projects or showcase something they want to share. The topics will form two rounds of participant-driven concurrent sessions for meaningful, effective knowledge exchange and generation.

Open Space Concurrent Sessions 1

Open Space Concurrent Sessions 2

The Stay Connected Mental Health Project: An Update on University Activities
Dr. David J. Pilon, Program Leader, Specialty Mental Health Services, Nova Scotia Health Authority

Designing a Made in Atlantic Canada Network Focused on Improving Student Mental Health
Facilitators: Jonny Morris, CMHA BC & Shaylyn Streatch, CMHA BC
This final session will focus on harnessing the collective input of as many Summit participants as possible. Using a series of action-oriented questions, participants will work together to identify priorities for next steps in developing and sustaining an Atlantic Canada network that involves campuses and community partners designed to work together to improve student mental health. Theming, prioritizing, and interactive voting will help the Summit conclude with a clear and practical vision of what’s next.

Presented by the Association of Atlantic Univerities (AAU) in partnership with Medavie Health Foundation

Mount Saint Vincent University, Rosaria Hall, Multi-purpose Room
Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Sharing Best Practices in Student Mental Healthcare

Conference-Report-Final Download

Short-and-long term objectives for this event:

Short-term objective – promote inter-university sharing of best practices in student mental health services
Short-to-mid term objective – advance development of regional collaborative initiatives
Long-term objective – create a partnership between university student mental health services, local district health authorities and provincial departments of health

Conference moderator: Peter Halpin, Executive Director, Association of Atlantic Universities

8:30 am
Light breakfast/coffee

9:00 am
Opening remarks
Ramona Lumpkin, PhD, President and Vice-Chancellor, Mount Saint Vincent University and Chair, AAU Council
Wade MacLauchlan, Chair, Medavie Health Foundation Board and President Emeritus, University of Prince Edward Island

9:15 am
CACUSS/CMHA Systemic Approach to Post-Secondary Student Mental Health Handbook
ACHA Survey Synopsis Information and Strategy Discussion
Rice Fuller, University of New Brunswick

10:15 am
Nutrition break

10:30 am
Online Self-help Programs for Psychological Distress
Victor Day, Dalhousie University

11:15 am
A Collaborative Model: Capital Health & IWK’s University Connection
David Pilon, Program Leader, Specialty Mental Health Services, Capital Distrtict Health Authority

12 noon
Lunch

12:30 pm
Keynote Speakers: Fred and Elizabeth Fountain, The Stay Connected Mental Health Project

1:15 pm
Suicide Prevention
Rice Fuller, University of New Brunswick

2:00 pm
Creating a caring campus culture
Treena Smith, University of Prince Edward Island

2:45 pm
Successful student-led collaboration
Joanne Mills, Mount Saint Vincent University

3:30 pm
Institutional Showcase

4:30 pm
Where do we go from here? Next steps
James Sanford, Acadia University

5:30 pm
Conclusion

November 1, 2012 – Click here for News Release

Presented by the Association of Atlantic Universities (AAU)
in partnership with Medavie Health Foundation
Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB
Thursday, November 1, 2012

Short-and-long term objectives for this event:

Short term objective – bring greater awareness and focus on student mental health
Short-to-mid term objective – develop an institutional policy framework
Long term objective – develop a regional policy framework

Conference moderator/facilitator: Peter Halpin, Executive Director, Association of Atlantic Universities

Opening Remarks

Robert Campbell, President, Mount Allison University
(Chair, AAU; Chair, AUCC Presidents National Working Group on Campus Mental Health)

Wade MacLauchlan, President Emeritus, University of Prince Edward Island and Medavie Health Foundation Board

The Queen’s University Experience

Ann Tierney, Vice-Provost and Dean of Student Affairs, Queen’s University
Mike Condra, Director of Health, Counselling and Disabilities Services (HCDS), Queen’s University

Moderated case study panel discussion: “Old is New Again”

Panelists:
Anne Bartlett, Coordinator, Pathways to Academic Success, Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning,
University of Prince Edward Island
Anne Comfort, Coordinator, Meighen Centre for Learning Disabilities, Mount Allison University
George Hurley, Professor and Training Director, Predoctoral Professional Psychology Residency Program, Memorial University

Moderator: Robert Campbell, President, Mount Allison University

Student Keynote Speaker: Kayti Baur, student, Mount Saint Vincent University

Moderated case study panel discussion: “It’s time to talk: but to whom”?

Panelists:
James Reddin, Counsellor, University of Prince Edward Island
Heidi MacDonald, Counsellor, University of Prince Edward Island
Kathleen Kielly, Registrar, University of Prince Edward Island

Moderator: Vickie Johnston, Director of Webster Centre and Student Affairs, University of Prince Edward Island

Moving from Discussion to Action

Moderator: Sara Lochhead, Vice-President, Enrolment and Student Services and University Librarian, Acadia University

Maintaining the dialogue

Moderator:
Rob Shea, Deputy Provost ‘pro tem’, Student Affairs and Services, Memorial University

Conference Summary

Robert Campbell, President, Mount Allison University

Panel Presentations

The Queen’s University Experience

Old is New Again

Keynote presentation

“It’s time to talk: but to whom?”

Presented by the Association of Atlantic Universities (AAU), in cooperation with the Economic Developers Association of Canada (EDAC)
October 18-19, 2011

Economic development and community leaders, entrepreneurs and research & development experts from across the region gathered for Making the Connection: Universities and Community Economic Development at the University of New Brunswick’s Wu Conference Centre, Chancellor’s Room, Wednesday, October 19.

The purpose of the event was to explore opportunities for greater collaboration and effective partnership between the region’s universities and community economic development agencies.

Presentations

Universities and Community Economic Development

Dr. Robert Greenwood, Director, Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, Memorial University

Making the Connection: Lessons from the Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, Memorial University

Mr. George Karaphillis, Director of the MBA (Communicty Economic Development) Program & Associate Dean of the Shannon School of Business, Cape Breton University

Universities and Community Economic Development

Case Studies

1) Leadership and Local Economic Development
Dr. Phil Davison, Director, Extension Department, Coady International Institute, St. Francis Xavier University

Rural Leadership Program

2) Development of Student Entrepreneurs
Dr. Reuben Domike, Assistant Professor, School of Business, University of Prince Edward Island

Get Ready – Get Set – Go with Experiential Entrepreneurship at UPEI