Instructor: Dr. Michael Savage, Associate Professor

Course: EDUC 4P46 – Mental Health and Wellness

Program: Concurrent Education

Student-led events to raise awareness about mental health

Education students in Dr. Savage’s Mental Health and Wellness course learn about mental health and wellness in the classroom and how to best help students cope with those issues in a school environment. A key component of the course is an assignment that challenges students to plan, advertise and execute mental health awareness events in their community.  According to Dr. Savage this experience is particularly relevant for Education students as they prepare for work in a classroom or other public setting. “As future educators, it is very important that Concurrent Education students get an opportunity to take the theory and skills they are learning in their courses out into the wider society and engage with the community about important issues.”

In addition to encouraging a sense of change in the community, students have said that the event assignment is a valuable opportunity for learning outside the classroom.

“We are talking to a lot of people and making a lot of contacts,” said Ishana Sharma, a fourth-year Concurrent Education student who together with Jessica Schryer organized a fundraiser in partnership with Shaw Festival.  Their event – Art and Soul Pop-up Patio – included guest speakers and live performances to demonstrate how the arts can be helpful in supporting mental health and can assist those coping with mental health issues. According to Sharma, the learning experience was “ a confidence boost because this is more than just taking notes. You are taking an active part in your own education.”

Coordinating, staging and hosting an event is a key portion of the Brock’s experiential education definitions and helps students to interact directly with the community while also building real-world skills.