NEWSLETTER IN THIS ISSUE Supporting Our Students’ Mental Health
WINTER/SPRING 2018 2020 1
CASJ Welcomes New Action Group: Disability Justice 2 Let’s Talk About Language: Is “disability” a bad word?
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Supporting Our Students’ Mental Health ELIMINATING THE STIGMA
By Nichelle Penney, CASJ Disability Justice Action Group and Kamloops teacher
Call for Social Justice Newsletter Articles
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Peace and Global Education Begins with Me
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Project Overseas: Unlearning to learn, disconnecting to connect
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Solidarity with Colombian Teachers 8 Hip Hop Pedagogy and Connecting in the Classroom
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I Am Not Your Ally
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Confessions of a White Feminist
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Reflections on the 2nd Annual Issue Session on Racism
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A Woman’s Right to Choose and Access Abortion Services
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Reflections on Women Deliver 2019: The Power of Women
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Building Understanding for Diversity and Inclusion in Our Community 23 Death By Gender
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Does the Minimum Wage Reduce Poverty?
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School Climate Strikers and the Duty to Not Remain Neutral
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We’re in a Climate Emergency: Let’s call it that and act
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Nisga’a Environment Heroes
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Committee for Action on Social Justice
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Are You Experiencing Racism in the Workplace?
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ccording to the British Columbia division of the Canadian Mental Health Association, roughly 17% of people are experiencing a mental health or substance abuse issue. Of the estimated 84,000 children and youth diagnosed with a mental disorder, fewer than one-third who have sought help have received support from mental health services. Couple this with the fact that waitlist times for some diagnoses can be upwards of 60 weeks, and it becomes clear that our students are quickly being left behind. The 2019 report Mental Illness and Addiction: Facts and Statistics from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health indicates there is increasing evidence of the long-term success of promotion, prevention, and early intervention initiatives. The report also identifies that these problems are masked by children and youth who fear being labeled. The way we understand the world influences our actions: men shouldn’t cry, girls are too emotional, people with depression or anxiety should “just get over it.” As educators, we must help to eliminate the stigma associated with mental health issues in our schools starting by creating strong relationships and attending to the emotional and mental needs of our students. Relationships are key to attaining equity in our schools. To develop meaningful relationships, we must acknowledge that our students have very different lived experiences and modify our interactions with them based on this understanding. When we examine the cultural bias that exists between various genders, it is no wonder that 20% iStock/ Maria Kuznetsova
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