Buy-in
Index
Foundations For Healthy Schools Approach
The YWC Program aligns with all five of the foundations in the Foundations for a Healthy School approach as well as the Ontario Curriculum. It is youth-led and encourages students to be active participants and contributors to their learning and understanding of mental health promotion. Students learn about mental health, mental illness, and substance use and are better equipped to support their peers.
We encourage open and respectful discussion of mental health topics fostering a positive and supportive environment and creating inclusion and belonging within the school community. Our focus on mental health promotion can easily be integrated to support healthy schools policies.
Ontario School Curriculum
The Ontario Curriculum outlines the required knowledge and skills students need for success on the pathway they choose. Each grade and course builds on the material from the previous ones and progresses along with students’ developmental growth. The curriculum is developed by educators and is supported by research, experts, and key partners.
Alignment with the Ontario Curriculum
To enhance its utility, effectiveness, and relevance, the YWC Program is aligned with the Ontario curriculum’s skills and expectations that are outlined for each grade. This alignment will support integrating our program into daily learning for students regarding their mental health and wellbeing. The attached document depicts the alignment of the YWC Program to the Ontario curriculum by grade and skill needed to be developed. The table also itemizes primary audience and the rationale as to how YWC can support learnings.
Policy/Program Memorandum 169 (PPM 169)
PPM 169 was released in July 2023 by the health and education ministries. This memorandum outlines the requirements for school authorities and school boards to provide evidence-informed mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention services to the student population in a culturally-safe manner. The memorandum also stresses the importance of school boards working with the provincial system of care to provide clear pathways for support to community and hospital mental health services for children and youth. A clear linkage of PPM 169 to the YWC Program is the emphasis on well-being and mental health of students as an integral component to their learning.
Schools represent an ideal place for mental health promotion, prevention, and early identification through school-based programs and interventions and by equipping students with knowledge and skills to be aware of and advocate for their mental health. The following table describes alignment of PPM 169 to the YWC Program.
Ontario Public Health Standards
The Ontario Public Health Standards are a set of guidelines and requirements that were developed by the ministry of health to ensure that public health units are providing consistent and quality public health services.
The YWC Program aligns with and meets several of the criteria outlined in the standards which may be helpful for Public Health Nurses and other public health professionals working within schools that are considering implementing the Youth Wellness Champions Program. For a complete list of how the YWC Program aligns with the Ontario Public Health Standards, please see the table included in the resource section.
Resources
Leading Change Toolkit
Did you know?
The YWC Program aligns with the change journey outlined in RNAO’s Leading Change Toolkit, which blends two leading implementation models to help you design, implement and sustain change:
- Knowledge-to-Action Framework covers tried-and-true methods
- Social Action Movement Framework covers wholistic grassroots approaches.
Resources and tools
The YWC program has specific resources and tools to make change happen:
Other:
