5TH ANNIVERSARY NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH AWARDS
Category: Partnership
Award Winner: DURHAM TALKING ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS COALITION Durham Region, ONT.
tamidurham.ca
DURHAM TALKING ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS COALITION GETS PERSONAL ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH
BACKGROUND
Data from Children’s Mental Health Ontario indicate that one in five youth struggle with their mental health and 80 per cent of those youth are not receiving the help they need, and national statistics indicate that 70 per cent of adults who experience mental illness and mental health problems say their issues started before they were 18 years old.
It is impossible to know exactly how each person experiencing a mental illness feels, or how they see their lives and the world around them. Each person and each person’s circumstance is unique.
Research has shown that feelings of devastation, worthlessness, shame, isolation, hopelessness and fear are common — and that stigma prevents many people, and especially youth, from seeking help.
A person who has lived experience of mental illness and who can speak about it from their own perspective can communicate a personal message that resonates with young people who have mental health concerns, and adults concerned about the mental well-being of loved ones. Engaging people with lived experience in awareness programs can create much-needed dialogue about mental health.
OVERVIEW
In the late 1990s, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health piloted a project with the Toronto District School Board to address mental health issues in schools. Feedback was generally positive, and it was suggested that it would be valuable to have someone with lived experience with mental health problems speak to students. This was the springboard for a wider regional initiative.
In 2002, the Talking about Mental Illness (TAMI) Coalition was formed in the Durham, Ont., region, a large municipality east of Toronto. Founded by five partners, the Coalition had 15 partners in 2011, including four school boards and mental health, health, youth justice, addictions and special needs stakeholders: Canadian Mental Health Association – Durham, Distress Centre Durham, Durham Catholic District School Board, Durham District School Board, Durham Family Court Clinic, Durham Mental Health Services, Frontenac Youth Services, Kawartha Pine Ridge School Board, Kinark Child and Family Services, Lakeridge Health Oshawa – CYF Program, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences , PVNC Catholic District School Board, Pinewood Centre of Lakeridge Health, Resources for Exceptional Children and Youth – Durham, and The Youth Centre.
The Durham TAMI mental health awareness project helps elementary and high school students and teachers become more knowledgeable and aware of the symptoms associated with a mental health problem or mental illness, and to decrease stigma. At its heart are men and women with lived experience who provide a focal point for truly communicating to youth what a mental disorder and recovery sound and feel like. Durham TAMI’s efforts centre on two kinds of activities: in-school presentations to students and teachers through the region, and the Stomping Out Stigma (S.O.S.) Summit Conference for youth.
For 2011, eight speakers with lived experience travelled across the region to share their mental health journey in 95 presentations, reaching approximately 10,000 youth and professionals combined.
They talked about how their mental health problems began, the initial signs of mental illness, the symptoms, the fear they often experienced, their eventual treatment and their path to recovery. “We don’t change the story at all. We make sure the story talks about the illness, but also that it focuses on hope and recovery,” says Durham TAMI Coalition Chair Bob Heeney, Community Development Coordinator with the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences.
The S.O.S. Summit Conference, held twice a year and hosted by Ontario Shores, brings together 120–150 students from more than 30 high schools to take part in conversations about mental health.
Two programs are offered, one for high school students and one for elementary students, and both are forums for youth to share experiences, strengths, insights and action plans in a non-judgemental and supportive environment. Each Summit includes mental health education, experiential exercises, conversation, opportunities to challenge myths and stereotypes, and interaction with people who tell their personal stories of living with a mental illness and the impact of stigma on their recovery.
The students participate in “conversation cafés” where they are given a menu with guidelines for their conversation. The goal is to have the youth discuss powerful questions, to first reflect on their own mental health attitudes and then to discuss action plans on how they can make a difference or raise awareness among their peers, classmates and school communities.
Initial funding came from the Ontario Ministry of Child and Youth Services, which provided $10,000 annually. The Coalition’s approach to discussing mental health drew community attention, attracting donations from local and national organizations. The Ontario Shores Foundation for Mental Health further supports TAMI by securing local and national organizations which sponsor the delivery of this mental health project for youth. Funds support honoraria, transportation, awards ceremonies, certificates for Durham TAMI presenters and all meeting materials and keynote speakers at the two annual Stomping Out Stigma Summits.
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
From its inception, the Durham TAMI model recognized that properly trained and supported
speakers were central to its ability to have impact, so they focused on speaker development. Heeney was optimistic about emphasizing personal stories when he heard one of the first speakers, Ivor, tell his story of living with a mental disorder to a gymnasium full of students [see Ivor and Megan’s Stories for more information]. “It really resonated with me,” he says. “It brought tears to my eyes. He was so honest. After I heard his story I thought, ‘this program is going places.’”
Because of the heavy presentation schedule, Heeney admits that he worries about the toll a high number of speaking engagements may have on the group of speakers. They tell him they are enjoying themselves. “It’s a tough topic, a life and death topic, but we have fun,” he says. “This is a partnership where trust is key, creativity is evident and passion to deliver the message is always present.”
As the impact of the Durham TAMI model becomes more widely known, it is capitalizing on
opportunities to share its learnings and expertise with other communities [see Making an Impact for
more information].
INNOVATION
The cornerstone of the Durham TAMI model is the engagement of people who have experienced mental illness and stigma themselves, and who share their personal stories.
The S.O.S. Summit model was specifically designed to engage and empower youth, and to link participating schools with Durham TAMI Coalition partner agencies. The model has received both the Ontario Minister’s Award for Innovation in Health Promotion as well as the IBM Ontario Hospital Association Leading Practices Award.
Online media also play a role in reaching youth, and for offering resources for students, parents and teachers. The Durham TAMI website (tamidurham.ca) includes a video game that highlights the importance of Stomping Out Stigma. The website also showcases individuals who have contributed to mental health awareness and includes information for anyone interested in becoming a speaker.
Information about the Durham TAMI project is currently included on the Ontario Shores Facebook page; an initiative-specific Facebook page is being developed.
MAKING AN IMPACT
From 2002–2011, more than 450 presentations have been offered to approximately 35,000 students and teachers. A total of 10 S.O.S. Summits have reached over 1,100 students and 500 professionals.
More than 40 elementary school presentations have been offered to 3,760 Grade 7 and 8 students.
Feedback suggests that awareness of mental health issues has risen to a level rarely seen among youth. Evaluations conducted in 2007 and 2009 indicated that students who participate in an S.O.S. Summit show a 35 per cent increase in knowledge about mental illness and a 12 per cent improvement in attitudes towards those living with mental illness. The project is also being evaluated by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) Opening Minds initiative, which is identifying and evaluating anti-stigma programs nationally to determine their effectiveness and potential to be replicated and offered more broadly.
Durham High School teacher Pamela Garant saw an instant impact on her students. After taking part in their first S.O.S. Summit, four students began drawing out an action plan to raise mental health awareness. The Summit’s café became a launching pad for what Garant calls a “pay-it-forward”
initiative. “The kids were so pumped that first year. Our four Summit students connected with three more, so our first S.O.S. group had seven kids. The second year we had 30 kids and the next was 70.”
A year-round student-led group creates awareness of mental health and to dispel stigma, and teachers and students are becoming comfortable with openly discussing mental health. “It has made teachers a little bit more aware and compassionate with what we are saying,” Garant says.
“A lot of stigma comes from our language. This is something we need to focus on.” She also says she continues to have students come forward with mental health concerns after seeing one of the Coalition’s presentations.
The Durham TAMI model is also being used in other communities. Connections made through the MHCC Opening Minds initiative led to two presentations in Yellowknife, N.W.T., which resulted in an active TAMI Coalition being created in that community. The in-school program is now being run in both Yellowknife school boards.
In Ontario, the S.O.S. Summit model has been adopted by York Region and a number of others with the support of Healthy Minds of Canada. Through 2011, five S.O.S. Summits have been held for more than 750 high school students and teaching staff. Sydney, N.S., is also developing an S.O.S. Summit.
LEARNINGS AND INSIGHTS
It takes roughly six months for someone to become a trained speaker, and it is important to invest the time needed so presenters are best able to tell their stories and to have those stories resonate with students. “The message from [our speakers] is that it is important to take that first step and say ‘I think I need to speak to someone.’ The message is that the sooner you take that step, the better,” Bob Heeney says. Although the speeches and presentations are at times difficult and explicitly honest, the training each speaker receives ensures their story is conveyed effectively.
“I think that when I first met with Bob, my story was 45 minutes long and I cried three minutes in,”
says Megan, one of the TAMI presenters [see Ivor and Megan’s Stories]. “I learned what I was and what I wasn’t comfortable with.”
Teacher Pamela Garant also identified a challenge within her profession: many teachers do not know how to help a student who may be experiencing a mental health issue. The workshops offered through the S.O.S. Summit excited Garant about her students’ enthusiasm, and also made her aware that more training was required for teachers to help them identify potential mental health concerns.
“Every teacher needs training in mental health,” she says. “It should be part of the whole curriculum.
We have no training for this. I am a Psychology teacher, but what about the Math teacher or the English teacher? “I empathize with these teachers and their students who are not having their needs met.”
Combatting this lack of knowledge, all agree, needs immediate attention and resources.
THE FUTURE
Because the Durham TAMI project can’t possibly visit every school every day, it is exploring avenues to provide resources whenever they’re needed. The Coalition is developing an app for mobile devices that youth will be able to use to gain quick access to local resources, relevant phone numbers and crisis contacts. It will also provide biographies of all of the speakers. “These are the people who connect with the students,” Heeney says. “We want to put out the speakers’ stories to the students.”
If financial resources become available, the Coalition would like to build on what it has done in Yellowknife to help address the lack of mental health information and supports in the North. “We are long overdue to work with other areas in the North,” Heeney says. “There are some great people in the North, but they are working with limited resources and services for youth. Ours is a model that, with training, can be easily replicated in other areas of the country.”
IVOR AND MEGAN’S STORIES
Ivor and Megan are two of the Durham TAMI project’s presenters. Both speak from the heart and from experience, sharing stories that are personal and poignant.
Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Ivor grew up in a house of abuse and severe alcoholism. He says he would hear voices in his head and was regularly told to “smarten up.” Amazingly, he overcame this to make a strong recovery. “He got the help that he needed and is a model of recovery,” Heeney says.
“He sings country songs for the kids now.”
Megan was experiencing depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety issues when she was admitted to the Ontario Shores Adolescent Inpatient Program where she stayed for eight months and began her journey towards recovery. She made tremendous strides and was thrilled with the opportunity to help someone who was dealing with similar problems. She remembers a time in Grade 9 when she desperately wanted to talk to someone about what was happening to her, but wasn’t sure where to turn. “I wasn’t aware of the resources. I wanted to speak to someone, but the
stigma associated with mental illness stopped me from asking for help,” she explains. During this dark period, she harmed herself and contemplated suicide, yet she managed to survive. She went on to graduate from university and get married.
For her work to promote mental health awareness and to reduce stigma, Megan received the 2009 Mary Neville Award, presented by Peel Children’s Centre in Mississauga to individuals who have made significant contributions to children’s mental health services. In 2010, she received the Kaiser Foundation National Award for Excellence in Youth Leadership, recognizing outstanding achievements in dealing with mental health, addictions and related issues.
By Séamus Smyth and Cathy Nickel Mental Health Commission of Canada
