Working Conference on
Understanding and Assessing Well-Being and
Well-Becoming in Manitoba Schools
Thursday, 19th November 2015, 09:00-16:00, at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
Understanding and Assessing Well-Being and
Well-Becoming in Manitoba Schools
Thursday, 19th November 2015, 09:00-16:00, at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
Purpose of the Working Conference
The purpose of the working conference was to bring together different school education partners in Manitoba in order to explore the role of well-being and well-becoming as educational concerns in Manitoba schools. The event provided an opportunity to build on the work already done by the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents (MASS) and other educational partners around well-being in schools.
Program
9:00-9:15 Welcome
(a copy of the talk can be downloaded by clicking here)
9:45-10:00 Logistics (Gary Babiuk)
10:00-12:00 Working Sessions (see below)
12:00-13:00 Lunch
13:00-15:00 Working Sessions (see below)
15:00-16:00 Joint Session (Laura Sims)
Working Sessions: Overview
Sessions (10:00-12:00)
(1) Assessing Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Thomas Falkenberg & Heather Krepski (University of Manitoba)
(2) Sustainability and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in School
Presenters and Facilitators: Laura Sims & Nanette Godbout (Université de St. Boniface)
(3) Mental Health and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Leslie Eblie-Trudel (Sunrise School Division), Marion Cooper (Canadian Mental Health Association), Gary Babiuk (University of Manitoba), & Catherine Draper (University of Manitoba)
(4) Teacher Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Robert Mizzi & Jennifer Watt (University of Manitoba)
Sessions (13:00-15:00)
(5) Using Divisional Data for Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Paul Cuthbert (Cuthbert Consulting) & Heather Krepski (University of Manitoba)
(6) Child Rights and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Thomas Falkenberg & Melanie Janzen (University of Manitoba)
(7) Outdoor Education and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Michael Link & Jennifer Watt (University of Manitoba)
(8) Indigenous Education and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenter and Facilitator: Frank Deer (University of Manitoba)
(9) Food and Nutrition and Well-Being in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Joyce Slater & Sarah Colatruglio (University of Manitoba)
Working Sessions: Summary Reports
(1) Assessing Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Thomas Falkenberg & Heather Krepski (University of Manitoba)
The session was divided into three phases.
Understanding and Assessing Well-being and Well-Becoming in Participants’ Classrooms/Schools
Participants were invited to share (a) their understanding of and (b) ways in in which well-being and well-becoming of students in their classroom/school are currently assessed. The following is a summary of the participants’ responses to each of the two foci.
(a) Understanding
In addition some responses talked about ways in which schools and school divisions support (the development of) student well-being and well-becoming:
Presentation: Understanding and Assessing Well-Being and Well-Becoming of Students
Heather presented on approaches within “Positive Education” (the application of Positive Psychology to the realm of school education) to measure student well-being and well-becoming. Positive Education is one out of a number of approaches to understanding and assessing student well-being and well-becoming.
Positive Education is an approach to education that draws on Positive Psychology's emphasis of individual strengths and personal motivation to promote learning. Positive schooling teachers use techniques that focus on the well-being of individual students. Some of the measures used in Positive Education to assess school success: life satisfaction, hope, optimism, strength in character, gratitude, positive self-concept, emotion regulation, empathy, flow in school, resilience, self-efficacy, creativity, school satisfaction, engagement, peer relationships, parent-child relationships, healthy behaviours, talent and mastery.
Next Steps for Assessing Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Participants’ Classrooms/Schools
In this final phase, participants decided to discuss issues that arose in the first phase and ideas presented in the second phase as a large group. A range of issues were discussed, for instance, the need for the collection of qualitative data in addition to the collection of quantitative data.
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(2) Sustainability and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in School
Presenters and Facilitators: Laura Sims & Nanette Godbout (Université de St. Boniface)
Overview: This workshop was comprised of the following discussions: understanding the concepts of "well-being" and "sustainability", identifying major issues with respect to sustainability (local and global), considering beneficial approaches and pedagogies, sharing our experiences as to what is actually happening in schools, and visioning as to what could/should be happening.
What follows is a description of the major ideas that came out of these discussions.
Part 1: Developed common understanding of "sustainability" and "well-being" and what role education might play.
Within that understanding we agreed that:
Sustainability and well-being touch on striking a balance between the different aspects of life. They involve systems thinking and sustaining human and earth systems. They include multi-generational thinking and building resilience. All should be able to flourish and have a good quality of life. They involve healthy relationships between humans and the more-than-human world. They involve a healthy mind, body and spirit, and freedom to pursue opportunities.
Education helps us learn to make more responsible decisions with respect to each other and the earth. Education helps us build competencies. Education could help people become more connected to natural systems.
Part 2: Discussed issues we are facing globally and locally with respect to sustainability and well-being.
With respect to more local issues that we are seeing at a community / school level, participants identified a ubiquitous focus on adult-directed activities and structure as problematic. There is not enough room left for kids to have independence, show initiative, take responsibility, and have quiet (mind) time that allows for creativity. Children need to be more active, walk or bike to school. Many feel that technology is taking over relationships; we are highly distracted one from another, the focus is now on technology and consumption. Many students face mental health issues like anxiety. Also, there is a need to allow kids to struggle in order for them to feel the joy of success.
Part 3: Shared approaches and pedagogies that enable education for sustainability.
As a starting point, we shared, and were inspired by, the education for sustainability pedagogical strategies from the Learning for a Sustainable Future Connecting the Dots document.
To this LSF list, we added that learning locally should explicitly include nature-based, integrated learning should include systems thinking, and emotional and spiritual health should be taken into consideration.
Part 4: Shared what actually happening in our schools
Many ideas were shared as to what is happening at the moment in schools. Initiatives include:
Part 5: Vision of what could/should be happening
Together we identified what we thought should / could be happening:
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(3) Mental Health and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Leslie Eblie-Trudel (Sunrise School Division), Marion Cooper (Canadian Mental Health Association), Gary Babiuk (University of Manitoba), & Catherine Draper (University of Manitoba)
The following summary of this session is structured around the three questions suggested as an organizing framework for the working sessions.
The working session discussion began with short outlines by Leslie Eblie-Trudel, Assistant Superintendent of Support Services for Sunrise School District and a member of Student Services Admin Association of Manitoba (SSAAM) and Marion Cooper, Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association and was followed by an open discussion. Here is the summary of that discussion.
1. What is currently going on in the field?
Lots. There are numerous initiatives being implemented across school divisions in Manitoba and they include a wide range of types of programs that deal with multiple issues around mental health of both students and teachers. But most schools and teachers are being overwhelmed in how to deal with the growing number of students who need help as a result of the complexities of modern life in Manitoba and the issues that put a strain on schools to support student and families through such issues as growing poverty, the reality of both First Nations and new Canadians (including refugees from violent situations), challenging family dynamics and the constant distraction on media and technology. There are number of institutions both in school divisions and in the community that are working at dealing with the mental health issues of students but their efforts tend to be fragmented.
2. What may be desirable?
It was a theme during the conversations that there needs to be more inter-institutional communications and that these discussions need to take a systems approach to solving the issues. A holistic approach needs to be taken that includes not only school divisions, schools, government agencies, NGOs but also students, families and communities.
3. What are some of the barriers?
The barriers are the disconnections and isolation of the institutions working in the mental health field. We need to clarify the role of schools and educators and how they connect into the whole picture. Also there is a current problem of government under-funding to deal with the growing issues of mental health.
4. What are some possible concrete steps that can be taken in your context?
The following are some of the possible steps:
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(4) Teacher Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Robert Mizzi & Jennifer Watt (University of Manitoba)
The teacher wellness discussion group was mixed of approximately 25 teachers and administrators from various parts of the province. A set of discussion questions were given to the group members to guide their discussion. These questions were:
How do your work situations accommodate teacher well-being and well-becoming?
At first glance the group members thought that they will speed through these questions without difficulty. After an hour into the discussion, many realized that they only accomplished two or three questions! This indicated to us that there is a need for groups to talk about teachers and their work situations.
The discussion was incredibly rich in quality (depth, insights) and quantity (vast number of topics). Group members spoke about administrators as being gatekeepers to teacher wellness in the workplace. Some group members shared how teachers in their schools can exercise (yoga), eat (share meals), and relax (meditation) with each other as a means to de-stress and re-charge. Some group members shared that their administrators would not allow these activities, and that they are simply expected to ‘cope’ with the increasing demands on their time and energy. This part of the discussion highlighted the resource and leadership imbalances between school divisions.
Group members also noted how ‘professional development’ is sometimes too structured and rigorous, and that the needed ‘break’ to explore PD just doesn’t take place. In one instance, a group member shared the hours-long meetings where very little is accomplished and discussed, and then she laments the lost time that could have been used for marking work or planning lessons.
Further, group members discussed the struggle with always being judged by the public, parents, and colleagues, which makes the job mentally stressful. Some group members shared how this psychological stress has led to some colleagues trying to commit suicide or taking extended leaves of absence. Group members applauded the Manitoba Teachers Society in recognizing this need.
Recommendations provided by group members indeed continued the diversity theme. Group members wished for more balance between ‘busy periods’ and ‘down-time’ so that they can re-charge for the work ahead. They noted now positivity and care goes a great deal in their jobs, especially when at times they need to face difficulty and tension. Group members saw a clear connection to the university, and hoped that school divisions prioritize further academic training (time off to attend classes; time given in lieu of graduate training; tuition payment) and see the value in this effort. All in all, these recommendations spoke to a shift in the work culture. One way of starting this shift is to conduct a wellness survey of teachers in their schools and determine what would be helpful.
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(5) Using Divisional Data for Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Paul Cuthbert (Cuthbert Consulting) & Heather Krepski (University of Manitoba)
First, the facilitators presented some key definitions of sustainable well-being and subjective well-being, as well as some of the related research in the areas of well-being measurements and positive education.
Then, the following four questions guided the working part of the session:
Within the context of the provided definitions for well-being, participants were asked to reflect on current practices of collecting and using data within their school or school division. In groups of four or five, participants were tasked with recording their answers to the following questions:
Current practices within Manitoba schools and divisions using data that relates to well-being/becoming were abundant and varied:
The following list was generated by participants with respect to the data that is not currently collected, but that participants would like to collect:
Selected themes that were reported when identifying the challenges of collecting and using data in schools and school divisions included: validity, reliability, development, and administering of instrument, and collating of the results. Educational practitioners in this session also spoke about privacy issues, the different methods being valued for data collection, being vulnerable to look at data that might not tell the story we want, and the logistical struggles of consistent assessments that are consistently administered.
Some of the successes that have been observed by participants from collecting and using data in schools and school divisions, included: an increased data-driven approach to decision-making, collaborative approaches to educational monitoring (i.e. teachers, administrators, school support partners), divisional plans that include healthy, mental health, and well-being goals, and community and citizenship education.
The second half of the working session focused on “next steps” questions for small and large group discussion. The first guiding question focused on how can we use existing data on well-being/becoming as an indicator of school success. Participants spoke about ways that they could make their school plan more meaningful, revisit it more frequently and include all the stakeholder voices (students, parents; partners; teachers; admin). Some participants suggested a reframing and refocusing the measurement narrative away from traditional academic measures (PISA; PCAP). Another theme that emerged was with respect to accessing and sharing educational research on the topic of well-being and becoming, as well as access to trends in the field, and meta-studies on the topic. Finally, many participants observed that accessing social media tools in the classroom and schools can be useful for measuring school and student success.
The closing discussion question asked participants what new data could be collected as a measure of well-being/becoming and what suggestions they have for developing initiatives to measure well-being/becoming. Collaborative efforts such as, inviting experts into schools (from the areas of well-being, mental health, or educational research), inter-divisional initiatives, multi-sectoral partnerships, and community mobilization (such as in Brandon) surfaced as a priority for most participants. Expanding and embracing new uses for digital information sources, such as social media networks, electronic survey instruments, maple software, and photovoice was also an important theme. Lastly, participants expressed a need for increasing our understanding of our student population and working to develop measurements for engagement and experience.
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(6) Child Rights and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Thomas Falkenberg & Melanie Janzen (University of Manitoba)
The session was divided into two phases.
Brief Background Presentation by Thomas and Melanie
History and Structure
Working Session
In the first part of the working session, participants identified a number of current practices in Manitoba schools and school divisions that they considered implementations of the CRC:
In the second part of the working session, participants discussed in the large group more generally issues that arose during the first part of the working session.
Although there appeared to be many examples where children were included in some aspects of school and classroom planning and events, there were more challenges that were identified when working with behaviourally challenged students and children in care. Some questions that arose included, how do we meaningful include children’s voices when they are in care? In what ways can be respond to children with significant behavioural problems that honours their rights, specifically their rights to an education and their right to participate in decisions made about them?
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(7) Outdoor Education and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Michael Link & Jennifer Watt (University of Manitoba)
In an introductory activity, participants from the Outdoor Education for Wellbeing and Well-becoming session identified diverse individual interests in Outdoor Education, which included: school gardening; the spiritual reconnection of human beings to the earth; the impact of camping/Outdoor Education programs on mental health and wellness; creating spaces for young children to learn outside; nature and/or forest schools; developing lifestyle skills and attitudes for children throughout their lives; introducing international students to Canadian winter activities; expanding our understanding and awareness of our cultural assumptions about relationships with nature; integrating Aboriginal perspectives into Outdoor Education and school gardening; re-connecting to community roots; playing outside to learn at all ages and stages, including teacher education; helping children develop place attachment; caring about the biosphere; developing provincial guides about “Learning in the Outdoors” that would be useful for teachers.
Since this was a working session time about Outdoor Education, we took part of our discussion time outdoors—even though it was the first fiercely winter day of the year. Alone, in pairs, or with small groups, participants walked on campus contemplating and discussing three questions:
When we re-gathered as a group, we had a rich conversation that grew from personal teaching experiences and an enthusiasm to expand outdoor learning opportunities for all students and teachers in the province. Here are a few highlights from the conversation:
Outdoor Learning Opportunities
Outdoor Recesses
Developing Outdoor Spaces
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(8) Indigenous Education and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenter and Facilitator: Frank Deer (University of Manitoba)
Understanding and Assessing Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Manitoba Schools Conference was held at the University of Manitoba on November 19, 2015, for the Sustainable Well-Being Research Group. Educators had the opportunity to spend time in groups to discuss what is going on in the field, opportunities and challenges and initiatives being taken in the constitutional contexts.
Educators described programs being instituted, professional development, changing policies, community involvement and personal growth occurring currently. Programs designed to bring awareness to Indigenous issues, increase prosocial behaviour, resilience and support for Indigenous learners are present. Availability of Professional Development, resource material and Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum are increasing. Policies are being implemented that support anti-racism and children in care. Growing community involvement in schools bring together Elders, parents, high school mentorship and community support workers who participate in schools. Opportunities for personal growth and discussion with peers promote understanding and serves to remove bias and misconceptions.
Opportunities and desirable outcomes voiced by educators were increased presence of Indigenous cultural factors, community participation and reconciliatory action. Language courses and creating cultural experiences to maintain Indigenous cultures were seen as necessary by educators. Understanding and supporting Indigenous ways of being honouring strengths and instill a sense of belonging in students. Creating meaningful relationships by engaging with communities and Elders build trust between the school and families and were seen as valuable ways to engage the surrounding support system. Also mentioned, was discussing racism and acknowledging past mistakes.
Challenges educators identified were lack of knowledge and training in Indigenous culture, unique challenges faced by students who speak another language, lack of resources, funding disparity and racism. Educators expressed concern for a lack of training to speak knowledgably about aspects of Indigenous language, culture and values. A lack of qualified language teachers is another challenge. Deaf students and students who have English as a Second Language may face isolation. Lack of resources regarding funding, curricular resources and teacher support specifically for Indigenous culture, values and language awareness was identified. Access to services, disparity between provincial and federal funding for schools and the need for students to leave their own community to complete secondary school were pointed out as challenges some students face. Racism was a concern for educators, including the racism inherent in the Indian Act, systemic and overt racism. Educators also found funding models and transition forms to be dehumanizing.
Initiatives taken in constitutional contexts of educators are professional development and training, building relationships with the community, sharing resources, developing assessments and build positive attitudes. Educators feel they need more access to professional development to increase understanding and knowledge of language, culture, tradition and history, and ongoing support. Building and strengthening relationships with the community through intergenerational involvement has been seen to be of benefit. Connecting outside agencies with the school has also built community networks. Within individual schools, educators are benefitting from pooling and sharing resources while making them centrally available through the creation of a community collection. Educators are using contextual and individual tools for assessment, progress and interventions. Individually, educators are also being more willing to take risks, learning different ways to express Indigenous teachings, learning from and celebrating success.
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(9) Food and Nutrition and Well-Being in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Joyce Slater & Sarah Colatruglio (University of Manitoba)
There are many pressing nutrition-related issues facing youth, including some of highest rates of overweight and obesity are in Canada (who has almost highest rates in world); complex food system dominated by unhealthy foods; food insecurity; and body image dissatisfaction.
Existing School Food & Nutrition Components in Manitoba
In response to these issues, there are many food and nutrition-related activities happening in Manitoba schools including:
School Food & Nutrition Challenges
However, these existing food and nutrition-related activities and programs are fragmented, lacking a framework tying components together. As well, teachers face several challenges regarding food and nutrition strategies:
What can be done?
Ultimately, this model is not very sustainable. Several ideas were discussed in order to address some of these concerns, such as:
Possible Collaborations:
Healthy Schools BC. (2011). Comprehensive School Health. Retrieved Mar 20, 2012.
Healthy Schools BC (Director). (2012). Comprehensive School Health in a Nutshell [Motion Picture]
Hertzman, C., & Power, C. (2005). A Life Course Approach to Health and Human Development. In Healthier Societies: From Analysis to Action (pp. 83-106). New York: Oxford University Press.
Joint Consortium for School Health. What is Comprehensive School Health? Retrieved March 20, 2012.
Stewart-Brown, S. (2006). What is the evidence on school health promotion in improving health or preventing disease and specifically what is the effectivelness of the health promoting schools approach? Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe. Retrieved March 20, 2012, from WHO Regional Office for Europe.
The World Health Organization. Jakarta Declaration on Leading Health Promotion into the 21st Century. Retrieved Mar 20, 2012.
The World Health Organizations. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Retrieved Mar 20, 2012.
The purpose of the working conference was to bring together different school education partners in Manitoba in order to explore the role of well-being and well-becoming as educational concerns in Manitoba schools. The event provided an opportunity to build on the work already done by the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents (MASS) and other educational partners around well-being in schools.
Program
9:00-9:15 Welcome
- Thomas Falkenberg, Coordinator of the ESWB Research Group
- David Mandzuk, Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba
- Ken Klassen, Executive Director, Manitoba Association of School Superintendents
(a copy of the talk can be downloaded by clicking here)
9:45-10:00 Logistics (Gary Babiuk)
10:00-12:00 Working Sessions (see below)
12:00-13:00 Lunch
13:00-15:00 Working Sessions (see below)
15:00-16:00 Joint Session (Laura Sims)
Working Sessions: Overview
Sessions (10:00-12:00)
(1) Assessing Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Thomas Falkenberg & Heather Krepski (University of Manitoba)
(2) Sustainability and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in School
Presenters and Facilitators: Laura Sims & Nanette Godbout (Université de St. Boniface)
(3) Mental Health and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Leslie Eblie-Trudel (Sunrise School Division), Marion Cooper (Canadian Mental Health Association), Gary Babiuk (University of Manitoba), & Catherine Draper (University of Manitoba)
(4) Teacher Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Robert Mizzi & Jennifer Watt (University of Manitoba)
Sessions (13:00-15:00)
(5) Using Divisional Data for Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Paul Cuthbert (Cuthbert Consulting) & Heather Krepski (University of Manitoba)
(6) Child Rights and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Thomas Falkenberg & Melanie Janzen (University of Manitoba)
(7) Outdoor Education and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Michael Link & Jennifer Watt (University of Manitoba)
(8) Indigenous Education and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenter and Facilitator: Frank Deer (University of Manitoba)
(9) Food and Nutrition and Well-Being in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Joyce Slater & Sarah Colatruglio (University of Manitoba)
Working Sessions: Summary Reports
(1) Assessing Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Thomas Falkenberg & Heather Krepski (University of Manitoba)
The session was divided into three phases.
Understanding and Assessing Well-being and Well-Becoming in Participants’ Classrooms/Schools
Participants were invited to share (a) their understanding of and (b) ways in in which well-being and well-becoming of students in their classroom/school are currently assessed. The following is a summary of the participants’ responses to each of the two foci.
(a) Understanding
- well-being and well-becoming is embedded in culture
- well-being and well-becoming applies also to teachers (being cared for; healthy work-life balance; being able to be role models)
- holistic approach to well-being and well-becoming; beyond “academics”
- recognizing diversity of needs within a culture of equity
- community belonging
- real “meaningful” connections outside of the realm of “social media”
- empathy for others
- requires awareness of pressures at play for students and educators
- includes an ecological focus (ecoliteracy)
- Youth Health Survey
- Tell-Them-From-Me Survey (student voice)
- The Resilience Survey (divisional)
- Report cards; learning behaviour on report cards
- Considering student voice (feedback)
- Attendance
- Graduation rates
- Surveying for protective factors
- “What happened to you?” Recognizing early trauma and supporting students
- Measuring/monitoring the number of students who are using Student Services, number of students in CFS, number of incident reports
- Monitoring academic success of academic success (literacy and numeracy) for particular student demographics
- Monitoring student engagement in extra-curricular activities
- Monitoring the number of students participating in community experiences (e.g., internships)
In addition some responses talked about ways in which schools and school divisions support (the development of) student well-being and well-becoming:
- Introduction of a mental health curriculum
- M.I.L.E. 5: Mental Health Stigma Reduction Initiative
- “Wellness Wednesday” for staff; well-being check-in before staff meetings
- Mindfulness program/meditation
- Yoga in the classroom
- Intergenerational connections: connecting seniors with students (lunch and board games)
- Triple A programs
- Connecting parents with school culture
- Seven Teachings; character education
- Roots of Empathy
- ESJ committees
- Working toward cultural participation, not just consumption
- Developing relationships with students
Presentation: Understanding and Assessing Well-Being and Well-Becoming of Students
Heather presented on approaches within “Positive Education” (the application of Positive Psychology to the realm of school education) to measure student well-being and well-becoming. Positive Education is one out of a number of approaches to understanding and assessing student well-being and well-becoming.
Positive Education is an approach to education that draws on Positive Psychology's emphasis of individual strengths and personal motivation to promote learning. Positive schooling teachers use techniques that focus on the well-being of individual students. Some of the measures used in Positive Education to assess school success: life satisfaction, hope, optimism, strength in character, gratitude, positive self-concept, emotion regulation, empathy, flow in school, resilience, self-efficacy, creativity, school satisfaction, engagement, peer relationships, parent-child relationships, healthy behaviours, talent and mastery.
Next Steps for Assessing Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Participants’ Classrooms/Schools
In this final phase, participants decided to discuss issues that arose in the first phase and ideas presented in the second phase as a large group. A range of issues were discussed, for instance, the need for the collection of qualitative data in addition to the collection of quantitative data.
--------------------------------------------
(2) Sustainability and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in School
Presenters and Facilitators: Laura Sims & Nanette Godbout (Université de St. Boniface)
Overview: This workshop was comprised of the following discussions: understanding the concepts of "well-being" and "sustainability", identifying major issues with respect to sustainability (local and global), considering beneficial approaches and pedagogies, sharing our experiences as to what is actually happening in schools, and visioning as to what could/should be happening.
What follows is a description of the major ideas that came out of these discussions.
Part 1: Developed common understanding of "sustainability" and "well-being" and what role education might play.
Within that understanding we agreed that:
Sustainability and well-being touch on striking a balance between the different aspects of life. They involve systems thinking and sustaining human and earth systems. They include multi-generational thinking and building resilience. All should be able to flourish and have a good quality of life. They involve healthy relationships between humans and the more-than-human world. They involve a healthy mind, body and spirit, and freedom to pursue opportunities.
Education helps us learn to make more responsible decisions with respect to each other and the earth. Education helps us build competencies. Education could help people become more connected to natural systems.
Part 2: Discussed issues we are facing globally and locally with respect to sustainability and well-being.
With respect to more local issues that we are seeing at a community / school level, participants identified a ubiquitous focus on adult-directed activities and structure as problematic. There is not enough room left for kids to have independence, show initiative, take responsibility, and have quiet (mind) time that allows for creativity. Children need to be more active, walk or bike to school. Many feel that technology is taking over relationships; we are highly distracted one from another, the focus is now on technology and consumption. Many students face mental health issues like anxiety. Also, there is a need to allow kids to struggle in order for them to feel the joy of success.
Part 3: Shared approaches and pedagogies that enable education for sustainability.
As a starting point, we shared, and were inspired by, the education for sustainability pedagogical strategies from the Learning for a Sustainable Future Connecting the Dots document.
To this LSF list, we added that learning locally should explicitly include nature-based, integrated learning should include systems thinking, and emotional and spiritual health should be taken into consideration.
Part 4: Shared what actually happening in our schools
Many ideas were shared as to what is happening at the moment in schools. Initiatives include:
- K-4 school that has adopted a Reggio Emilia philosophy involving the co-construction of curriculum guided by the students. This approach involves a strong community orientation.
- Student voice groups (5 groups working together to address local and global issues, including GSA, green team). At the moment, in the process of making a school circle garden based on principles of Indigenous teachings (7 teachings) and medicine wheel.
- Nutritional programs (food shelves in high school, breakfast programs).
- Supporting immigrants through programming.
Part 5: Vision of what could/should be happening
Together we identified what we thought should / could be happening:
- Need for leadership and opportunities to network /collaborate / talk. Need time and resources to network and realize initiatives.
- Need to slow down (too much is packed into curriculum).
- Desire for community to become more involved in school activities.
- Desire for a greater sharing of school successes (Green Manitoba has web-based sharing tool).
- Need for enabling policies (for example, put into place "walking field trip form" that allows kids to go outside).
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(3) Mental Health and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Leslie Eblie-Trudel (Sunrise School Division), Marion Cooper (Canadian Mental Health Association), Gary Babiuk (University of Manitoba), & Catherine Draper (University of Manitoba)
The following summary of this session is structured around the three questions suggested as an organizing framework for the working sessions.
The working session discussion began with short outlines by Leslie Eblie-Trudel, Assistant Superintendent of Support Services for Sunrise School District and a member of Student Services Admin Association of Manitoba (SSAAM) and Marion Cooper, Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association and was followed by an open discussion. Here is the summary of that discussion.
1. What is currently going on in the field?
Lots. There are numerous initiatives being implemented across school divisions in Manitoba and they include a wide range of types of programs that deal with multiple issues around mental health of both students and teachers. But most schools and teachers are being overwhelmed in how to deal with the growing number of students who need help as a result of the complexities of modern life in Manitoba and the issues that put a strain on schools to support student and families through such issues as growing poverty, the reality of both First Nations and new Canadians (including refugees from violent situations), challenging family dynamics and the constant distraction on media and technology. There are number of institutions both in school divisions and in the community that are working at dealing with the mental health issues of students but their efforts tend to be fragmented.
2. What may be desirable?
It was a theme during the conversations that there needs to be more inter-institutional communications and that these discussions need to take a systems approach to solving the issues. A holistic approach needs to be taken that includes not only school divisions, schools, government agencies, NGOs but also students, families and communities.
3. What are some of the barriers?
The barriers are the disconnections and isolation of the institutions working in the mental health field. We need to clarify the role of schools and educators and how they connect into the whole picture. Also there is a current problem of government under-funding to deal with the growing issues of mental health.
4. What are some possible concrete steps that can be taken in your context?
The following are some of the possible steps:
- continue with conversations between educators and also with outside agencies
- create a central agency that connects all stakeholders including school divisions, maybe under the umbrella of Healthy Child Manitoba
- include more student voice in conversations and plans to deal with this issue
- develop support mechanisms for educators and other mental health professions to increase the resiliency of these professionals
- use a whole school / community approach when planning and implementing
- create and deliver more professional development and human capacity building around dealing with the issues of mental health well-being,
- use a more proactive approaches
- advocate with government agencies for more funding
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(4) Teacher Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Robert Mizzi & Jennifer Watt (University of Manitoba)
The teacher wellness discussion group was mixed of approximately 25 teachers and administrators from various parts of the province. A set of discussion questions were given to the group members to guide their discussion. These questions were:
How do your work situations accommodate teacher well-being and well-becoming?
- What are the competing demands on teacher’s time and energy?
- How does ‘busy-ness’ (and work life) affect teacher well-being and well-becoming?
- How are teachers a sustainable resource?
- What kind of projects or initiatives could further shed light on this topic?
At first glance the group members thought that they will speed through these questions without difficulty. After an hour into the discussion, many realized that they only accomplished two or three questions! This indicated to us that there is a need for groups to talk about teachers and their work situations.
The discussion was incredibly rich in quality (depth, insights) and quantity (vast number of topics). Group members spoke about administrators as being gatekeepers to teacher wellness in the workplace. Some group members shared how teachers in their schools can exercise (yoga), eat (share meals), and relax (meditation) with each other as a means to de-stress and re-charge. Some group members shared that their administrators would not allow these activities, and that they are simply expected to ‘cope’ with the increasing demands on their time and energy. This part of the discussion highlighted the resource and leadership imbalances between school divisions.
Group members also noted how ‘professional development’ is sometimes too structured and rigorous, and that the needed ‘break’ to explore PD just doesn’t take place. In one instance, a group member shared the hours-long meetings where very little is accomplished and discussed, and then she laments the lost time that could have been used for marking work or planning lessons.
Further, group members discussed the struggle with always being judged by the public, parents, and colleagues, which makes the job mentally stressful. Some group members shared how this psychological stress has led to some colleagues trying to commit suicide or taking extended leaves of absence. Group members applauded the Manitoba Teachers Society in recognizing this need.
Recommendations provided by group members indeed continued the diversity theme. Group members wished for more balance between ‘busy periods’ and ‘down-time’ so that they can re-charge for the work ahead. They noted now positivity and care goes a great deal in their jobs, especially when at times they need to face difficulty and tension. Group members saw a clear connection to the university, and hoped that school divisions prioritize further academic training (time off to attend classes; time given in lieu of graduate training; tuition payment) and see the value in this effort. All in all, these recommendations spoke to a shift in the work culture. One way of starting this shift is to conduct a wellness survey of teachers in their schools and determine what would be helpful.
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(5) Using Divisional Data for Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Paul Cuthbert (Cuthbert Consulting) & Heather Krepski (University of Manitoba)
First, the facilitators presented some key definitions of sustainable well-being and subjective well-being, as well as some of the related research in the areas of well-being measurements and positive education.
Then, the following four questions guided the working part of the session:
- How can divisional data be linked to the idea of well-being/well-becoming as a measure of school educational success?
- What are current practices of how divisions are collecting and using data on well-being/well becoming?
- What are successes and challenges of collecting and using this data?
- What are possible future directions and networking possibilities?
Within the context of the provided definitions for well-being, participants were asked to reflect on current practices of collecting and using data within their school or school division. In groups of four or five, participants were tasked with recording their answers to the following questions:
- In what ways are these data related to well being/well becoming?
- What data are you not collecting, but would like to collect?
- What are the successes and challenges of collecting and using data?
Current practices within Manitoba schools and divisions using data that relates to well-being/becoming were abundant and varied:
- TTFM
- Discipline/attendance
- Behaviour/tracking of students
- Intervention tracking (behaviour)
- Data from counsellors
- Classroom profile/school profile meetings
- EDI
- RHA
- School-based mapping (safety and well-being)
- School climate
- Report cards - phys-ed; ELA; learning related to well-being
- Town hall groups
- Joint consortium for school health (Sunrise SD)
- Resiliency survey
- Edsby (digital forum for parents and students about learning process)
- CLEVR; Tyler; Powerschool
- Continuums
- Observation
- Site visits
- Survey of protective factors (WRHA)
The following list was generated by participants with respect to the data that is not currently collected, but that participants would like to collect:
- More data from counsellors
- Poverty issues (foodbank data; breakfast program; program access; needs;)
- Relationships with family/peers
- High risk behaviours
- Justice
- Stories; qualitative data more generally (and make sense of it)
- Student Voice/participatory research action models
- Connection to student’s home life
- Staff data (absences, well-being/wellness)
- Be more consistent - not have more
- Have meaningful data; comparison points; baseline; audience
- Use more of an appreciative, focussed approach - what is working?
- More anecdotal and qualitative feedback
- Resiliency surveys
- Follow-up/retest data
- Student demographic
- Disadvantaged populations and high risk students: war-affected youth, LGBTQ; EAL
- Longitudinal approach
- Understanding of what is statistically significant
- Live data approach; more timely assessment
Selected themes that were reported when identifying the challenges of collecting and using data in schools and school divisions included: validity, reliability, development, and administering of instrument, and collating of the results. Educational practitioners in this session also spoke about privacy issues, the different methods being valued for data collection, being vulnerable to look at data that might not tell the story we want, and the logistical struggles of consistent assessments that are consistently administered.
Some of the successes that have been observed by participants from collecting and using data in schools and school divisions, included: an increased data-driven approach to decision-making, collaborative approaches to educational monitoring (i.e. teachers, administrators, school support partners), divisional plans that include healthy, mental health, and well-being goals, and community and citizenship education.
The second half of the working session focused on “next steps” questions for small and large group discussion. The first guiding question focused on how can we use existing data on well-being/becoming as an indicator of school success. Participants spoke about ways that they could make their school plan more meaningful, revisit it more frequently and include all the stakeholder voices (students, parents; partners; teachers; admin). Some participants suggested a reframing and refocusing the measurement narrative away from traditional academic measures (PISA; PCAP). Another theme that emerged was with respect to accessing and sharing educational research on the topic of well-being and becoming, as well as access to trends in the field, and meta-studies on the topic. Finally, many participants observed that accessing social media tools in the classroom and schools can be useful for measuring school and student success.
The closing discussion question asked participants what new data could be collected as a measure of well-being/becoming and what suggestions they have for developing initiatives to measure well-being/becoming. Collaborative efforts such as, inviting experts into schools (from the areas of well-being, mental health, or educational research), inter-divisional initiatives, multi-sectoral partnerships, and community mobilization (such as in Brandon) surfaced as a priority for most participants. Expanding and embracing new uses for digital information sources, such as social media networks, electronic survey instruments, maple software, and photovoice was also an important theme. Lastly, participants expressed a need for increasing our understanding of our student population and working to develop measurements for engagement and experience.
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(6) Child Rights and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Thomas Falkenberg & Melanie Janzen (University of Manitoba)
The session was divided into two phases.
Brief Background Presentation by Thomas and Melanie
History and Structure
- The United Nation Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC or UNCRC) was unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989. It has now been ratified by 196 countries and ratified by all members of the UN except the USA.
- A copy (also as pdf) of the CRC can be accessed here: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CRC.aspx
- Two child rights declarations preceded the CRC: (1) The Declaration of the Rights of the Child, adopted by the League of Nations in 1924, and (2) the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1959.
- The articles of the CRC are commonly divided into three clusters: articles that speak to children’s right to be protected, articles that speak to children’s rights to be provided for, and articles that speak to children’s rights to participate in matters concerning them.
- The child rights discourse had in particular two influences on child-well-being research: (1) now child well-being (the child’s well-being at the time) was also considered important in addition to child well-becoming (the well-being of the child as an adult in the future) ; (2) now children were given a voice in judging their well-being and well-becoming.
- Some scholars see child well-being as the realization of the CRC; other scholars see the concern for child rights to go beyond the concern for child well-being (when “child well-being” is limited to the provisional aspect only); and, finally, other scholars see the concern for child well-being to go beyond the concern for child rights (when “child well-being” is understood as a child’s flourishing in life).
- Educate students about the rights of the child, specifically what it means to participate and how to do so.
- Create a shift in thinking from doing things for students to doing things with students, e.g. through the creation of student advisory councils that inform policies and decision making.
- Consider policies through the lens of the CRC: How do school rules, codes of conduct, behaviour plans, etc. reflect children’s right to participation?
- Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children (CCRC). (n.d.). Right in principle, right in practice: Implementation of the convention on the rights of the child in Canada. Retrieved from the CCRC website: http://rightsofchildren.ca
- Covell, K., & Howe, R. B. (2001). The challenge of children’s rights for Canada. Waterloo, ON: Wilfried Laurier University Press.
- Doeck, J. E. (2014). Child well-being: Children’s rights perspective. In A. Ben-Arieh, R. Casas, I Frønes, & J. E. Korbin (Eds.), Handbook of child well-being: Theories, methods and policies in global perspective (pp. 187-217). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
- Howe, R. B., & Covell, K. (2013). Education in the best interests of the child: A children’s rights perspective on closing the achievement gap. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
- Lundy, L. (2014). United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and child well-being. In A. Ben-Arieh, F. Casas, I. Frønes, J. E. Korbin (Eds.), Handbook of child well-being: Theories, methods and policies in global perspectives (pp. 2439- 2462). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Working Session
In the first part of the working session, participants identified a number of current practices in Manitoba schools and school divisions that they considered implementations of the CRC:
- Student-led conferences
- Clubs and Alliances that encourage support of all students
- Embracing the medium of the students – social media
- “Bring Your Own Devise” and re-write policies
- Getting advisory groups formed to give voice to students
- Accessing the Human Rights Museum as an educational tool
- Students participate in school/school yard planning and in the choosing of classroom furnishing
- Board members meet with students from every school within the division to allow students a “voice”
- Results from the Tell-Them-From-Me survey (student voice) informs planning and practice and funding in many levels
- Individual initiatives linked to human rights education
- Standard codes of dress (protection)
- Focus on student safety and the safety of facilities (protection)
- Balanced School Day time tabling (provision)
- Building community in junior high schools through “core curricula” being taught be a classroom teacher rather than different “specialists” (provision)
- Anti-bullying and respectful school policy with “the students in mind” (protection/participation)
- A PhD study involving sustainability issues and student inquiry (participation)
- Student councils
- Choice in fundraising
- Students’ input in the classroom (rules, structure)
- Right to appropriate nutrition planning
- PATH planning tool
In the second part of the working session, participants discussed in the large group more generally issues that arose during the first part of the working session.
Although there appeared to be many examples where children were included in some aspects of school and classroom planning and events, there were more challenges that were identified when working with behaviourally challenged students and children in care. Some questions that arose included, how do we meaningful include children’s voices when they are in care? In what ways can be respond to children with significant behavioural problems that honours their rights, specifically their rights to an education and their right to participate in decisions made about them?
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(7) Outdoor Education and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Michael Link & Jennifer Watt (University of Manitoba)
In an introductory activity, participants from the Outdoor Education for Wellbeing and Well-becoming session identified diverse individual interests in Outdoor Education, which included: school gardening; the spiritual reconnection of human beings to the earth; the impact of camping/Outdoor Education programs on mental health and wellness; creating spaces for young children to learn outside; nature and/or forest schools; developing lifestyle skills and attitudes for children throughout their lives; introducing international students to Canadian winter activities; expanding our understanding and awareness of our cultural assumptions about relationships with nature; integrating Aboriginal perspectives into Outdoor Education and school gardening; re-connecting to community roots; playing outside to learn at all ages and stages, including teacher education; helping children develop place attachment; caring about the biosphere; developing provincial guides about “Learning in the Outdoors” that would be useful for teachers.
Since this was a working session time about Outdoor Education, we took part of our discussion time outdoors—even though it was the first fiercely winter day of the year. Alone, in pairs, or with small groups, participants walked on campus contemplating and discussing three questions:
- What are your experiences with outdoor education and wellbeing/well-becoming?
- What are the challenges or barriers to outdoor education?
- What initiatives, projects, or actions would you like to take or see developed?
When we re-gathered as a group, we had a rich conversation that grew from personal teaching experiences and an enthusiasm to expand outdoor learning opportunities for all students and teachers in the province. Here are a few highlights from the conversation:
Outdoor Learning Opportunities
- Get outside as often as possible! It doesn’t need to be a highly orchestrated event, but rather a natural extension of learning. Getting out daily to observe what is going on in the community and schoolyard can be a powerful and energizing experience. One participant advocated for “Little planning, big fun, big learning.”
- Adopt a tree project—students adopt a tree near to the school and come to visit, observe, draw, and write about their trees in all seasons.
- Use poetry and literature as prompts to come to know places and spaces in the local community.
- 2 Week Challenge for teachers and students get outside as much as possible in a two-week period. This challenge could be something an individual teacher took on for his/her classes or could be expanded to become a school, division, or provincial challenge.
- Prepare a form at the beginning of the year that tells parents that their students will frequently go outside for learning opportunities. Seek permission for going for walks beyond the school grounds.
- If students need to discuss ideas, have them do it outside. Walk to the end of the field talking and thinking about this question, on the way back discuss this question.
Outdoor Recesses
- Manitoba has a cold climate and often schools have “indoor recess” policies to protect students. However, this can mean that students and teachers go for days and weeks where they do not have any time outdoors as part of their school day.
- We brainstormed some ideas about having more appropriate outdoor clothing available for those who may not come prepared. Extra adults could be “Gear Inspectors.”
- We discussed how it would be beneficial, even on very cold days to at least get outside to walk around the school so students experience some fresh air and physical activity during the day.
- Some schools embrace winter with “Snowball Zones”—where students have to wear eye goggles and demonstrate responsible behavior.
- Suggestion that schools work with others in the community to design and develop “Warm Up Huts” to be placed around school yards so students can get out for longer.
Developing Outdoor Spaces
- Many participants were enthusiastic developing outdoor spaces for learning.
- They shared great resources such as Fort Whyte Alive, the Discovery Learning space in St. James, the Circle Garden in 7 Oaks.
- We discussed how it would be wonderful to develop a “Garden in Every School” project.
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(8) Indigenous Education and Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Schools
Presenter and Facilitator: Frank Deer (University of Manitoba)
Understanding and Assessing Well-Being and Well-Becoming in Manitoba Schools Conference was held at the University of Manitoba on November 19, 2015, for the Sustainable Well-Being Research Group. Educators had the opportunity to spend time in groups to discuss what is going on in the field, opportunities and challenges and initiatives being taken in the constitutional contexts.
Educators described programs being instituted, professional development, changing policies, community involvement and personal growth occurring currently. Programs designed to bring awareness to Indigenous issues, increase prosocial behaviour, resilience and support for Indigenous learners are present. Availability of Professional Development, resource material and Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum are increasing. Policies are being implemented that support anti-racism and children in care. Growing community involvement in schools bring together Elders, parents, high school mentorship and community support workers who participate in schools. Opportunities for personal growth and discussion with peers promote understanding and serves to remove bias and misconceptions.
Opportunities and desirable outcomes voiced by educators were increased presence of Indigenous cultural factors, community participation and reconciliatory action. Language courses and creating cultural experiences to maintain Indigenous cultures were seen as necessary by educators. Understanding and supporting Indigenous ways of being honouring strengths and instill a sense of belonging in students. Creating meaningful relationships by engaging with communities and Elders build trust between the school and families and were seen as valuable ways to engage the surrounding support system. Also mentioned, was discussing racism and acknowledging past mistakes.
Challenges educators identified were lack of knowledge and training in Indigenous culture, unique challenges faced by students who speak another language, lack of resources, funding disparity and racism. Educators expressed concern for a lack of training to speak knowledgably about aspects of Indigenous language, culture and values. A lack of qualified language teachers is another challenge. Deaf students and students who have English as a Second Language may face isolation. Lack of resources regarding funding, curricular resources and teacher support specifically for Indigenous culture, values and language awareness was identified. Access to services, disparity between provincial and federal funding for schools and the need for students to leave their own community to complete secondary school were pointed out as challenges some students face. Racism was a concern for educators, including the racism inherent in the Indian Act, systemic and overt racism. Educators also found funding models and transition forms to be dehumanizing.
Initiatives taken in constitutional contexts of educators are professional development and training, building relationships with the community, sharing resources, developing assessments and build positive attitudes. Educators feel they need more access to professional development to increase understanding and knowledge of language, culture, tradition and history, and ongoing support. Building and strengthening relationships with the community through intergenerational involvement has been seen to be of benefit. Connecting outside agencies with the school has also built community networks. Within individual schools, educators are benefitting from pooling and sharing resources while making them centrally available through the creation of a community collection. Educators are using contextual and individual tools for assessment, progress and interventions. Individually, educators are also being more willing to take risks, learning different ways to express Indigenous teachings, learning from and celebrating success.
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(9) Food and Nutrition and Well-Being in Schools
Presenters and Facilitators: Joyce Slater & Sarah Colatruglio (University of Manitoba)
There are many pressing nutrition-related issues facing youth, including some of highest rates of overweight and obesity are in Canada (who has almost highest rates in world); complex food system dominated by unhealthy foods; food insecurity; and body image dissatisfaction.
Existing School Food & Nutrition Components in Manitoba
In response to these issues, there are many food and nutrition-related activities happening in Manitoba schools including:
- Nourishment/feeding programs (breakfast)
- After-school programs (cooking clubs, school gardens, etc.)
- MB School Nutrition Policy
- School food (fun lunches, food in classroom teaching, etc.)
- University of Manitoba sustainability office
- Curriculum (new middle years Home Economics curriculum)
- Dairy Farmers of Manitoba (teacher training, cooking competitions, and resources at www.nuton.ca)
School Food & Nutrition Challenges
However, these existing food and nutrition-related activities and programs are fragmented, lacking a framework tying components together. As well, teachers face several challenges regarding food and nutrition strategies:
- Teachers are expected to do a lot to support extracurricular programming.
- Priority is given to math and science for teacher professional development because they are valued more than nutrition and food subject areas.
- Schools don’t necessarily have appropriate facilities while there are more students wanting home economics courses than schools can accommodate.
- There is a lack of coordination in food and nutrition across divisions.
- There is a lack of funding, and the need to continuously seek charitable funding for extracurricular and feeding programs.
What can be done?
Ultimately, this model is not very sustainable. Several ideas were discussed in order to address some of these concerns, such as:
- Advocates need to bring attention to food and nutrition as critical parts of well-being; part of this would be to change conversations with kids, parents, teachers and decision-makers.
- Easier access to dietitians and professionals to support teaching foods and nutrition.
- Funding/financial stability for breakfast programs and paid workers.
- Demonstrate how food and nutrition is cross-curricular and can be a key part of other “core” subject areas
- Support teachers accessing food and nutrition professional development.
- Need a framework for school food and nutrition, such as the Comprehensive School Health Framework, which supports improvements in students’ educational outcomes while addressing school health in a planned, integrated and holistic way. This framework encompasses the whole school environment with actions addressing four distinct but inter-related pillars:
- Social and physical environment;
- Teaching and learning;
- Healthy school policy; and
- Partnerships and services.
Possible Collaborations:
- Winnipeg Foundation
- Winnipeg School Division
- Good Food Club
- Community
- Healthy Child Manitoba
Healthy Schools BC. (2011). Comprehensive School Health. Retrieved Mar 20, 2012.
Healthy Schools BC (Director). (2012). Comprehensive School Health in a Nutshell [Motion Picture]
Hertzman, C., & Power, C. (2005). A Life Course Approach to Health and Human Development. In Healthier Societies: From Analysis to Action (pp. 83-106). New York: Oxford University Press.
Joint Consortium for School Health. What is Comprehensive School Health? Retrieved March 20, 2012.
Stewart-Brown, S. (2006). What is the evidence on school health promotion in improving health or preventing disease and specifically what is the effectivelness of the health promoting schools approach? Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe. Retrieved March 20, 2012, from WHO Regional Office for Europe.
The World Health Organization. Jakarta Declaration on Leading Health Promotion into the 21st Century. Retrieved Mar 20, 2012.
The World Health Organizations. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Retrieved Mar 20, 2012.
