May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the Ontario government kicked the month off by introducing a new curriculum focused on mental health for students.
The new mental health literacy learning requirements are proposed for Grade 7 and 8 classrooms, the government announced Monday. The new curriculum is slated to start next school year.
Additionally, mandatory learning on mental health literacy for Grade 10 students will start in 2024.
The new course will include how to recognize signs of being overwhelmed or struggling. As well as where to find help locally.
“The mission is to create a personal toolbox of skills that a young person could utilize in their life, in their jobs and in the classroom,” Education Minister Stephen Lecce said.
These resources are also being developed with the help of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
“[Yesterday’s] announcement by Minister Lecce is a win for students who have long called for this, more specifically last year in our province wide survey where over 94% students indicated support for such an initiative,” Toronto Youth Cabinet Executive Director Stephen Mensah told Now Toronto in an email statement.
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“Although we were looking for an age appropriate curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 12 on mental health, [the] announcement is an important step.”
There has been a mix of reactions from the public since the announcement:
