Breaking Down the Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness

5/15/2017

Jack.org was founded by Eric Windeler, whose son Jack tragically committed suicide as a first-year university student. Since Jack’s death, Eric has been a leading advocate for youth mental health initiatives. The group of students who founded Greenwood’s Jack Chapter did so with the goal of encouraging the conversation about mental health at the school through personal stories and education.

Mental Health Week kicked off with a sticky notes activity where students answered the question, “How do you take care of your mental health?” Other activities organized throughout the week included:

Mindfulness colouring through a shared art mural
“Taking a bite out of stigma” with cookie decorating
Student-led discussions in Grade 7 and 8 Adviser, where older students reflected on advice they would have liked to give to their younger selves

“Workout Wednesday” was a highlight for many. Dressed down in comfortable athletic wear, students and staff got their blood pumping at break with a Zumba workout led by Garfield Watson. It was a great way to get students energized on a chilly afternoon!

Many thanks to our Jack Chapter for planning a great week highlighting the many different ways students and staff can take care of their mental health. The conversation about mental wellness is a vital one, and one we will continue throughout the school year.

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Workout Wednesday was a highlight of Mental Health Week.

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Greenwood College School

443 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto, ON M4S 2L8
Tel: 416 482 9811

We acknowledge with gratitude the Ancestral lands upon which our main campus is situated. These lands are the Ancestral territories of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Anishinabek and the Wendake. The shared responsibility of this land is honoured in the Dish with One Spoon Treaty and we strive to care for the land, the waters, and all creatures in the spirit of peace. We are responsible for respecting and supporting the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. When away from this campus we vow to be respectful to the land by protecting and honouring it. We will create relationships with the people and the land we may visit by understanding the territories we enter and the nations who inhabit them.