Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA November 5, 2009 Strengthening the U.S./Canadian Alliance: A Workshop to Advance School Mental Health Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA November 5,

2 Greetings from Canadian Colleagues Claire Avison, Executive Director, Ministry of Education, British Columbia Doug Crossman, Senior Policy Advisor,Mental Health Promotion Unit, Healthy Communities Division, Center for Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention,Public Health Agency of Canada Marlien McKay, Manager of Strategic Initiatives, Wellness Branch, Dept Wellness, Culture and Sport (Government of NB) Farida Gabbini, Senior Director, Nova Scotia Department of Health Promotion and Protection 2

3 Greetings from Canadian Colleagues Doug McCall, Director, Canadian Association of School Health Michelle Forge, Co-chair, Canadian School Mental Health Community Community of Practice, School Mental Health Liaison for Canadian Association of School Administrators Lynn Damberger, Manager ‑ Children, Youth and Family Interventions, Alberta Health Services ‑ Addiction and Mental Health 3

2 Goal: To assemble representatives of significant federal/national efforts in the United States and Canada school based mental health for the purpose of initiating dialogue around potential networking possibilities, with the intention of encouraging possible co-operation and/or collaboration that would further mutual aspirations in this work, with the ultimate goal of enhancing school success for our students.

5 Objectives Build connections Explore the possibilities inherent in developing a shared framework Refer to highlights of evidence and research for school based mental health Present a selected menu of current activities and plans in the US and Canada that may present opportunities for collaboration in the areas of research, practice, practice, policy and training Identify potential opportunities, next steps 5

6 Innovation and Progress: The Role of Networks Collaborative structures that rely on trust and reciprocity for exchange and accountability Create new patterns of relationships that go beyond members’ primary affiliations, thus are Effective mechanisms to integrate otherwise isolated capacities for a common purpose Establish infrastructure of processes, information, people and relationships needed to create synergies across multiple organizations and across wide geographic areas. 6

7 Canadian Organization Web Links Canadian Association for School Health, School Mental Health Community of Practice : Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health (Positive Mental Health Initiative): cces.ca/upload/Positive%20Psychology%20in%20Schools%20April% pdf Mental Health Commission of Canada: 7