St. Joseph’s West 5th Campus Hosts HWDSB Student Wellness Conference
Pictured Above: HWDSB Students start the day of the SWAY Conference with Zumba at St. Joe's West 5th Campus.
Young Leaders Raise Awareness about Mental Health and Wellness
The Hamilton Wentworth District School Board’s (HWDSB) Student Senate has partnered with St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton to raise awareness about mental health and wellness. The young leaders of the Student Senate are passionate about creating opportunities to learn and engage others in conversations about mental health. Student Trustee Carly Van Egdom said, “It’s exciting that we are bringing students together to focus on wellness in a way that will make a real difference”.
On Friday, May 16, 2014, the new Margaret and Charles Juravinski Centre for Integrated Healthcare will host 120 high school students from the HWDSB for a student lead conference about mental health. The Student Wellness Among Youth (SWAY) Conference is the first community event at the new facility since it opened in February 2014 and an exciting day for St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. Jodi Yonger, Director, Mental Health and Addiction Services at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton said, “By inviting the community to hold events at the West 5th Campus, we’re hoping to inspire the community's next generation of leaders to envision a future that helps eradicate the stigma associated with mental illness and addiction.”
Members of the Student Senate developed the program theme and itinerary for the conference while working alongside St. Joseph’s Healthcare professionals to deliver workshops that highlight three domains: mental health, self-expression and physical health. The workshops include activities like laughter yoga lead by St. Joseph’s Recreational Therapists, open space discussions, an address from Dr. Margaret McKinnon who will explain the positive effects of outdoor activity on the mind and body, a nature walk and self-expression activities like graphic art to spark creativity and imagination.
St. Joseph’s West 5th Campus looks forward to being a part of the SWAY Conference and helping Hamilton’s generation of future leaders take action to break barriers associated with mental illness and addiction.