Collège Boréal donates $10,000 to community-based mental health
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Ontario Division is pleased to accept a $10,045 donation from Collège Boréal that will be used to enhance community-based mental health and addictions services.
Collège Boréal raised the money through a year-long fundraising campaign where the French-language post-secondary institution pledged that $5 from every student application fee would benefit CMHA Ontario.
The campaign aligns with the college’s heightened focus on mental health and wellness as it’s an issue that is meaningful for its students, many of whom are living away from home for the first time or have come from abroad to study.
“At Collège Boréal, we want to make sure our students have the best possible services for their mental health and well-being,” said Daniel Giroux, President, Collège Boréal. “We recognize that the transition to post-secondary education can be challenging. Our partnership with CMHA Ontario helps students know they have places to turn to in the community if they’re struggling.”
CMHA Ontario commends Collège Boréal for the mental health supports it provides students, including help navigating the mental health system to find appropriate support, financial backing for therapy, specific staff training in mental health, and mental health awareness seminars and workshops.
“We’re so pleased that Collège Boréal is committed to the mental health of its student body and has expressed its support for the community mental health sector,” said CMHA Ontario CEO Camille Quenneville. “Linkages between partners like post-secondary institutions and community mental health agencies create greater pathways to care for vulnerable individuals, whether they’re children, adults or post-secondary students.”
CMHA Ontario supports student metal health on campus. It houses the Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health (CICMH), a partnership project involving Colleges Ontario, the Council of Ontario Universities, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, the College Student Alliance and CMHA Ontario.
The mission of CICMH is to help Ontario’s colleges and universities enhance their capacity to support student mental health and well-being. It does this by working with partners and stakeholders to:
- Build the knowledge and skills of front-line staff and student leaders in post-secondary institutions to increase their capacity to address the mental health needs of students.
- Foster innovation in collaboration that promotes systemic responses in the post-secondary system to address the mental health needs of students.
- Develop strategic partnerships to leverage external knowledge, resources and relationships that address the mental health needs of students.
For more information, visit CICMH online at campusmentalhealth.ca
Fast facts:
- 70 per cent of mental health issues have their onset between the ages of 18 and 25
- 40 per cent of post-secondary students use mental health services by their final year
- Almost 75 per cent of students say they’ve felt overwhelming anxiety, while 60 per cent say they’ve been depressed to the point it was difficult to function
About Collège Boréal
Established in 1995, Collège Boréal is a French language post-secondary training and learning institution, one of Ontario’s 24 colleges of applied arts and technology, dedicated to the development and growth of communities throughout Ontario.
Collège Boréal offers comprehensive programs and services in 7 campuses and 38 access centres in 26 communities throughout the province. Since 1995, approximately 120,000 clients across Ontario have benefited from Collège Boréal’s expertise relating to post-secondary education, training programs, immigration and settlement services, and employment services. Collège Boréal has established over 120 articulation agreements with other post-secondary institutions.
According to the Key Performance Indicators recognized by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Collège Boréal ranks first in Ontario for two of the five indicators: graduation rate and, for the fourth consecutive year, student satisfaction. These results show that Boreal’s strengths lie in its investment in human capital.
About Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Ontario is a not-for-profit, charitable organization funded by the provincial Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. We work to improve the lives of all Ontarians through leadership, collaboration and continual pursuit of excellence in community-based mental health and addictions services. Our vision is a society that embraces and invests in the mental health of all people. We are a trusted advisor to government, contributing to health systems development through policy formulation and recommendations that promote positive mental health. Our 30 local CMHA branches, together with community-based mental health and addictions service providers across the province, serve approximately 500,000 Ontarians each year.
For more information, contact:
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