Mental Health Awareness Council (MHAC)
VPCI’s Mental Health Awareness Council aims to create an inclusive space for ALL students and staff to raise awareness of and eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health. At MHAC, we strive to provide equal opportunities for students from all grade levels and programs. We do this by creating an environment that encourages and responds to student voice and is reflective of students of all diverse areas and multiple identities. We practice equity in both our meetings and training workshops by encouraging participation based on everyone’s strengths and comfort levels when working on initiatives, and hosting discussions where all members’ opinions are valued.
Description:
Here at MHAC we strive to create a safe space for students and faculty at VPCI. We aim to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health issues and promote mental well being.
Staff Supervisor:
Lisa Bagnoli & Renata Catenacci
Club Leaders:
Seema Sharma, Daniel Zhang, Theodore Thompson, Calista Di Bartolomeo
Categories:
School-Related, Advocacy: mental health
Time Commitment:
The time commitment requires an hour in full council meetings every other week plus additional time for planning and executing initiatives such as our Wellness Wednesdays.
Meeting Times:
Every other Thursday at 5pm using Google Meet
Online Platforms:
on instagram @mhac.vpci
Join Instructions:
There will be an information session on Oct 14th and at the end of the session, a google form for sign up will be given. This google form will be made public for anyone who was not able to attend the session.
Extra Information:
MHAC hosts weekly initiatives, our most well known one being themed Wellness Wednesdays. We also provide resources, share updates, host giveaways, lead school wide events such as Workshop Day and collab with other school committees on shared projects. To better educate ourselves and support each other, MHAC members regularly engage in workshops and training (provided by the TDSB and outside organizations), discussions, and self-care practices that enhance our understanding of the benefits of mental health for everyone. All of our events and campaigns are shared via announcements and social media. Our goal is to support each other and the VPCI community in their mental health journeys.