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Gr. 7s learn about digital safety, health, consent at con in Parksville

SD69 hosts first Health and Wellness Conference for students headed to high school
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Students from Kwalikum and Ballenas secondary schools take questions from a group of Grade 7 students during School District 69 (Qualicum)’s first Grade 7 Health and Wellness Conference on Tuesday, May 15. — Adam Kveton Photo

Grade 7 students in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area got a day’s worth of advice at the school district’s first-ever Grade 7 Health and Wellness Conference on Tuesday, May 15.

The School District 69 (Qualicum) conference brought its Grade 7 students together at the Parksville Community and Conference Centre to address some of the issues and concerns students and their teachers deal with as students head into high school.

There were a variety of presenters, including high school students themselves taking questions from Gr. 7 students and holding sessions.

Topics ranged from digital safety and social media use, adolescent brain health, consent and healthy relationships, anxiety and tools for coping with stress.

One session had a panel of high school students (mostly in Grade 8) taking questions from Grade 7s, such as if they get invited to parties, how the older students treat younger students, and how the schedule works.

Another group of paid, trained high school students from the ENITY (Educating New Ideas Towards Youth program) spoke with students about stress, and about decision-making in drug/alcohol-related scenarios.

There were also many local organizations on hand at the conference, such as Island Health and the RCMP, said Kris Isenor, a counsellor at Kwalikum Secondary School and the lead organizer of the conference.

“That was part of the whole thing, too, so that students could see, ‘So that’s what the Family Resource Association is like,’ and ‘That’s what Child and Youth Mental Health is like,’” he said.

Another connection was with Aimee Falkenberg, a forensic health nurse with Island Health who spoke about her job, consent and relationships. While part of what Falkenberg does is to educate, she’s also someone who students would know to go to if they, for instance, suspected their drink had been spiked, said Isenor.

“I think it was a great idea,” said one of the Grade 7 students while eating lunch at the conference. “It helps you know what to do and what not to do when you’re older,” said another.

Isenor said that the feedback so far has been positive, and added that he’d like to see the conference happen again next year, though with more input from Grade 8s on what things they would have liked to have been told before entering high school.

Assistant superintendent Gillian Wilson said the community support for the conference was great and appreciated, and said she’s had positive feedback from teachers, in addition to comments about what they felt was missing.

Wilson said the idea for the conference came about by brainstorming easier ways of providing students with support that they normally get on a one-on-one basis.

“Let’s do something and try it,” she said, “knowing that we’re celebrating them becoming teenagers, transitioning into high school next year, and providing them with information.”