BSD to tackle anxiety at forum

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This article was published 21/02/2025 (288 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If all the students, parents and guardians who were invited attend an upcoming event about addressing anxiety and building a positive mindset, there could be up to 4,000 people at Vincent Massey High School on March 4.

The Brandon Community Youth Wellness Forum is designed to create discussion and help people come up with strategies for managing anxiety and how to bounce back from difficult experiences, said Jon Zilkey, assistant superintendent of the Brandon School Division (BSD).

“It’s meant for all students from Grade 7 seven and up, as well as adults,” Zilkey said. “But it’s about helping our students deal with some of the stressors that they deal with day to day. And we’re inviting all high schools, so we’re hoping for a large turnout,” he said.

The event is scheduled for March 4 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will feature 15 information booths in the school’s foyer, including the Brandon Police Service, Prairie Mountain Health, Huddle Brandon and the Brandon Friendship Centre.

At 7:15 p.m., four experts in mental health and advocating for youth will take to the stage to share their knowledge and experiences, including a rehabilitation counsellor, a crisis intervention nurse, a school psychologist and an expert in wrap-around care for children.

“I just think in our society,” Zilkey said, “anxiety is becoming a bigger and bigger issue and how to deal with it in a positive way. I know that might sound like a contradiction, but I think we have to start giving our youth and our adults ways to deal with challenges positively. I think that sometimes we’re losing a bit of that.”

In Manitoba, 10.8 per cent of children aged six to 12 have experienced a significant mental health or addictions issue. For youth aged 13 to 19, the rate increases to 17 per cent, according to 2019 data from the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, which is a research unit in the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba.

Canada-wide, a report from Statistics Canada’s Mental Health and Access to Care Survey shows an increase in common mental disorders, including mood, anxiety and substance-use disorders in youth between the ages of 15 and 24. The 2022 results were compared to previous surveys in 2002 and 2012.

In the report, it stated “there is a growing body of research that suggests that the prevalence of major depression and anxiety disorders among youth today is higher than it was for previous generations.”

The forum on March 4 at Vincent Massey is entitled “Anxiety: Growing Our Mindset and Finding Balance,” and is organized by the Brandon Community Youth Wellness Coalition, which is comprised of 11 local organizations including BSD.

The coalition meets three times a year, said Zilkey, and in the past, committee members would discuss school concerns and come up with ways to support and make connections with students.

But a few years ago, Zilkey said someone came up with an idea to make the committee “more actionable and not just talking.”

“We said, this committee is great, but what are we doing about it?” Zilkey said. “So, that’s when we said why don’t we start having a forum at least once a year and pick topics that we think are vital or would help our students and our parents. We want parents to come as well.”

This will be the second time the coalition has hosted a youth wellness forum. Last year it was held at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School, and while Zilkey said the feedback was positive, it wasn’t as “well attended” as the committee had hoped.

“But this is something we hope to do annually, that’s our plan. It connects the community to the school, and the school to the community.”

For more information about the Brandon Community Youth Wellness Forum, email info@bsd.ca.

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