Ancaster High to Host May 6 Webinar for Mental Health Week
Students and staff at Ancaster High Secondary School have co-created a jack-packed week of webinars, activities, and contests for their 2021 Mental Health and Identity Week.
The Healthy Action Team’s week-long celebration is highlighted by a system-wide Mental Health and Diversity Webinar that is set to take place on Thursday, May 6, 2021 from 9 – 11 a.m. via Teams Live.
The event features a prominent keynote speaker as well as a diverse panelist group that offers expertise and lived experiences. Ancaster’s Healthy Action Team hopes that Thursday’s webinar and the week’s events will help connect staff and students, particularly those who may be having a difficult time in the third lockdown and current online school platform.
Follow the Ancaster High Healthy Action Team on Instagram (@hat_ancaster_high) to stay up to date on the exciting initiatives taking place during Mental Health Week! You can also read up on the event’s speaker and panelists below.
Mental Health and Diversity Webinar
Speaker: Rodney Diverlus (He/Them)
Rodney Diverlus is a Haitian-Canadian artivist [artist/activist] and community activator. He is a founder of Black Lives Matter – Canada, and former Lead Canadian Organizer for the Black Lives Matter Global Network. He works as an artist internationally in dance and theatre and is author of Canadian bestseller “Until We are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada.”
Panelist: Suzanne Conroy (She/Her)
Suzanne Conroy is a Certified Leadership Coach CTI, M.Ed. in Educational Leadership (in process), speaker and owner of LIVE IT Leadership. She works in the corporate world with executives and staff alike, building corporate culture and leadership strength and impact.
Panelist: Mitch Borsc
Mitch Borsc is an Equity Consultant with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. He has been a secondary teacher with HWDSB for 17 years and an openly Transgender teacher for 6 years! His lived experience and passion for learning and teaching has allowed him to support students on their own journeys throughout his career. Mitch’s focus and drive are supporting Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ youth, promoting holistic wellbeing and mental health, and being a co-conspirator for anti-racism and anti-oppression advocacy and education.
Panelist: Jill Dennison
Jill Dennison is a Mental Health Promotion & Resiliency Facilitator with the Canadian Mental Health Association in Hamilton. Jill is an ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills) instructor, safeTALK instructor, Mental Health First Aid instructor and also facilitator of the Mental Health Works program.
Student Panelist: Leanne Tran (She/Her)
Leanne Tran is a Grade 12 student at Ancaster High and the co-founder of youth-led organization GROW STEM (Girls Rising to Opportunities Within STEM). She has planned multiple events to further the group’s mission to empower girls and non-binary youth in the Hamilton community and beyond to explore STEM, including the 2021 GROW GAMING Conference, an event for youth to explore game development and design.
Updated on Wednesday, May 05, 2021.