WINGHAM, ONT. -- Nearly 280 students from the Avon Maitland District School Board took part in You Matter2 Tuesday, a virtual youth mental health symposium.

“This event is not only important because it shines a light on mental health and well-being in our current pandemic, but it’s also created by students for students, with a little help from our friends and community partners,” says one of the organizers, grade 12 Listowel Secondary School student, Makenzie Hallam.

An in-person symposium was held in 2019. Year two had to be online, due to the pandemic.

Students and teachers from all schools in the Huron-Perth school board talked about self-care today, and plans on how to assist students with their mental health now, and when they ultimately return to school.

“We want our students to know that we care about all them, and that they matter. We want our students to feel a sense of belonging in our school communities. Obviously, this is more challenging right now, since we can’t attend our bricks and mortar schools,” says Avon Maitland Superintendent of Education, Jodie Baker.

One of the guest speakers at You Matter2 was Mike Masse, a Mindfulness consultant.

He says feeling anxious or afraid aren’t “bad” emotions, it’s how you manage those feelings that will determine how you deal with any situation, including the pandemic.

“If you’re in grade 11, or perhaps you’re in a younger grade, and you’re thinking about next year and what it’s going to be like, are we still going to be in COVID, that kind of thinking starts to bring anxiety,” he says. “When COVID hit, I had to cancel 70 workshops. My mind went to “oh no” what might happen. Problem is when you’re spending a lot of time in your mind and about what might happen, your body starts to feel it as if it is happening,” says Masse.

Baker says Bell Let’s Talk Day on Jan. 28, will be promoted during the symposium and the week leading up it will have all schools once again focused on mental health.

Students in kindergarten to grade 3 will participate in an activity to build social emotional learning skills, grades 4-6 will learn about stress and resilience through a short video series, and grades 7-12 will participate in a video series about managing stress and anxiety.

After Jan. 28, the videos will be released to parents/ guardians to assist families with engaging their children in mental health discussions.

Tuesday’s symposium was sponsored by the Tanner Steffler Foundation and Rural Response for Healthy Children.