Student conference focuses on mental health, bullying
500 students elect trustees, hold breakout sessions
Richmond Hill Liberal
April 30, 2014
By Simone Joseph
Emily Milne remembers being teased in elementary school about how slowly she walks.
While this may sound like a minor criticism, it extended far beyond harmless teasing in into bullying territory, Emily says.
The Newmarket High School student suffers from social anxiety.
The teasing made her mental health issue worse, the 17-year-old says.
“It made it harder to go to school. I felt everyone was laughing, making fun of me. It made my self confidence plummet. I believed what they said,” Emily said.
She attended a York Region District School Board conference in Richmond Hill today along with about 500 students and staff from the board’s 202 schools. The conference focused on the relationship between mental health, bullying and well-being and how we can develop safe spaces in schools.
One in five children is experiencing mental health challenges, said Ken Thurston, director of education with the York Region District School Board.
“We need you to tell us what is working and what isn’t,” Mr. Thurston said at the conference, held at the Sheraton Parkway hotel. “Students have made us see that when we are safe and feel included, we do our best learning.”
He also told the crowd: “You are a force of change. You can start today”.
Elections for the 2014-15 student trustees also took place at this third annual Our Voice student-led conference.
There were breakout sessions for students and the keynote speaker for the afternoon was to be Canadian singer-songwriter, Lights.
SIDEBAR
Despite leadership skills, even trustee candidates have been bullied
The four candidates for York Region District School Board school trustee are all student leaders who are very involved in their schools.
Yet, several shared stories of past bullying in school as they spoke during a school board conference in Richmond Hill Wednesday.
“I have been made fun of, picked on,” said Harii Mahesh, a Grade 11 Maple High School student. “I was that lonely soldier. I didn’t want to go to school. It is important to know bullying hurts,” he said.
In an interview before her keynote speech, even singer-songwriter LIGHTS (born Valerie Anne Poxleitner) shared her experiences being bullied.
She remembers being pushed into a locker, one person keyed her car and people even made fun of her for trying to get into music in high school. “People said I was chasing Hollywood,” she said.
At 16, she signed a publishing deal and began writing songs for other artists. In 2009, she earned the Juno Award for New Artist of the Year.
“There are bullies at every stage of life. They come in different shapes and sizes,” she said.
The antidote?
Self-acceptance and understanding. Embracing who you are and what you love, she said.
“It is important to understand yourself and what defines you so nothing can tear you down. If your vision in life is clear and you do what you love, nothing anyone says can get to you,” she said.
She has also had to deal with mental health issues.
When she moved to Toronto at age 18 from British Columbia, she faced depression and body image issues.
Today, she contends with a form of online bullying.
“Even now, things are said online that shouldn’t be repeated,” she said.
Daniel Roytman, a candidate from Vaughan Secondary School, pointed out that these days, bullying is more likely to take place on a computer screen rather than in a school yard.
Parents are an important part of the solution, according to him.
“When I was bullied in elementary school, they helped me get through it,” he said.
He advised students to be proactive, especially when bullying is done online: “Don’t continue this chain of gossip when it gets to you,” he said.
Keean Sarani, a trustee candidate from Richmond Hill High School, believes to prevent bullying, schools need to promote programs aimed at getting introverted students involved.
“So there is no such thing as cool or popular kids — everyone is equal,” Keean said.
