Great Plains College (GPC), with campuses in Warman and Martensville, is one of 19 Saskatchewan post-secondary institutions taking part in a project focusing on students’ mental health.

Healthy Campus Saskatchewan (HCSK) aims to create supportive environments for the 53,000 students enrolled in post-secondary programs at 52 campus locations across the province, according to Bev Drew, operational lead for the project.

“It’s very common for students in post-secondary institutions to experience a lot of stress,” said Drew in an interview March 31. “They’re at an age where the onset of mental illness can begin to show up. They’re away from home for the first time, they’re becoming adults, and the pressure to achieve academic success can be very stressful.

“There’s also the added complications of drugs and alcohol, and learning to handle them responsibly.”

Drew said it’s not just students attending large, seemingly-impersonal universities that can be overwhelmed by stress.

“Students across the province experience similar feelings and go through similar struggles,, no matter the size of the institution,” she said.

Drew said the main areas of focus for HCSK are: mental health and well-being, suicide awareness and prevention, sexual violence prevention, substance use, pandemic responses, and accessible and inclusive environments.

She said the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated challenges for classroom learning also add to students’ stress levels.

The HCSK initiative includes the University of Saskatchewan, University of Regina, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, GPC and other regional colleges, Gabriel Dumont Institute and others.

The project was launched earlier this winter on the strength of a grant from the provincial Ministry of Advanced Education and the provincial Ministry of Health. On March 31, the province announced additional funding for the project, bringing the combined level of support for the 2020-21 academic year to $341 000.

“Student mental health and well-being has and will remain a key priority for the Government of Saskatchewan,” Advanced Education Minister Gene Makowsky said. “Focusing on ways to help improve the health and wellbeing of students will lead to improved academic outcomes and help alleviate the burden felt by students during this challenging time.”

Drew said the HCSK project is modelled on an initiative already underway in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.

She said provincial funding is an investment in students’ futures.

“Our community of practice is working on numerous innovative projects to support student mental health, well-being, and success in an upstream way,” she said. “We are eager to improve the lives of students through continued collaboration with the Government of Saskatchewan, colleagues, and students across the province.”

Bev Drew

Drew said Saskatchewan is unique in linking all publicly-funded post-secondary educational institutions into the project. Two community-based organizations are also on board, she added.

The HCSK is currently finishing up its first major initiative; a survey which will provide the organization with baseline data and help map out its direction and focus for the next five years.

“The Canadian Campus Well-being Survey was developed at the University of Britsh Columbia,” said Drew. “It is based on a similar survey that was done in the United States, but is tailored to the Canadian context.”

Drew said so far, 17 of the 19 post-secondary institutions across the province have agreed to conduct the survey with their students.

“Some are already done the survey, and others are still wrapping up,” she said. “By June we should have the results tallied and some good information on where students are at in terms of mental health.”

She said one of the advantages of the HCSK project is that post-secondary institutions, both large and small, can share resources and information. A “best-practices” strategy for supporting students’ mental health across the province is one of the goals of the project.

“It’s important to be able to learn from one another, and put good ideas into practice at all our campuses,” she said.

Drew said HCSK is also currently staging a series of webinars on issues of concern.

“For example, in April we have a session on trying to reduce the harm of alcohol,” she said. “Each of the three western provinces is doing a session, and we’re promoting it across all the provinces.”

For more information about Healthy Campus Saskatchewan, visit www.hcsk.ca, Facebook (@HealthyCampusSaskatchewan), Instagram (@healthycampussask), and Twitter (@HCSask).