Recommended Resources for Schools

Helping Schools Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR), University of Victoria An ongoing project aimed at supporting comprehensive school health through an ecological approach that's goal is to change the school environment and actively engage students in the learning process. The resources help educators, and other adults in the school community, stimulate students to think differently about drugs and to explore the meaning of drugs in human experience. Some of the resources include:

School Policy - developing healthy drug policies, alternatives to suspension, foundational theory, etc.
iMinds - Lesson ideas on drugs and gambling for various curricular subjects that fit within BC's K-12 curriculum
Cycles - A film-based cannabis resource that encourages teens to talk openly about why people use cannabis
Drugs and Driving - A resource for gr. 10-12 classrooms to promote literacy about the impact of alcohol & drugs
Cannabis Resources - Cannabis legalization guides, school-based/drug literacy lessons, dialogue resources
Screening and brief intervention tools: self-administered screening tools to assess one's own use and can be used to facilitate referral or as a "doorway" to conversation with students and their supports
The Art of Motivation - applies the principals of motivational interviewing to engage in conversations and support positive change
Substance Use & Young People - A Guide for Families & Their Caring Communities - This guide offers supports to help adult members of a young person's community talk with them about alcohol and other drugs as they navigate individual life circumstances

HeretoHelp.bc.ca A project of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Substance Use Information

An online resource with information on mental health, mental illness, and substance use problems.

Youth Workbook- You and Substance Use: Stuff to think about...and ways to make changes - A workbook for youth with information and guided activities to think about their own substance use, harm reduction strategies, and de-stigmatize substance use by considering the ways drugs have the potential to help and harm
Visions Journal - BC's award-winning quarterly journal that brings together many views on mental health and substance use. Explore past publications on: youth, the recovery journey, self-harm, health inequalities, Indigenous people, transitions, loneliness and connection, culture, cannabis, eating disorders, medications, schools, etc.

The Youth Crisis 24-hour online chat and phone line Youth in BC & Crisis Centre

Sample Safety/Coping Plan Adapted from Peak House In collaboration with the student, use this one-page document to identify the area(s) of concern, strategies that help, and ways staff can support.

Keeping Youth Connected, Healthy & Learning - Effective Responses to Substance Use in the School Setting VIHA A report about school and community-based approaches, with a focus on alternatives to suspension.

Talk-Listen: Centering Youth Wisdom in Group Work at Peak House Child & Youth Care Journal, Volume 31 No. 3 This article outlines the Talk-Listen group, including transcripts of a group, which aims to co-construct relational safety, address the context in which struggles exist, illuminate resistance, and weave a sense of connection, belonging and hope amongst youth.

Mental Health Literacy University of British Columbia Two freely accessible online courses, LEARN and TEACH, provide staff the ability, though self-directed courses, to increase their mental health literacy and then teach students ages 12 to 19.

AnxietyCanada.com A website with self-help tools and evidence-based resources on anxiety.

Anxiety in Youth - An interactive website for youth with videos, strategies, and personal stories
MindShift app for iOS and Android devices. The app uses scientifically proven strategies based on CBT.

Trauma Informed Practice & the Opioid Crisis BC Centre of Excellence for Women's Health A discussion guide for health care and social service providers.

Substance Use and Mental Health Online Index Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Information on various substances and the effects, risks, impact on health

Protective Factors: Balance & Connection - Prov. results of the 2018 BC Adolesc. Health Survey, McCreary Centre Society

TowardtheHeart.com BCCDC Harm Reduction Services This project supports people to be safer and healthier by providing information about overdose prevention and response, and a free online naloxone training course.

LivingThroughLoss.ca - Grief and loss resources Counselling Society of BC

Classroom that Heal - Designing school spaces to support mental health Magazine of the BCTF, Vol 30 No.2 Nov-Dev 2017 Tips to creating classrooms/school environments that follow biophilic theory to incorporate nature into interior spaces.

Break it Off Health Canada and Canadian Cancer Society A digital media campaign with tools and support to help young people who use tobacco to quit smoking.

Vaping Health Info for Youth Government of BC

Vaping Tip-Sheet and Brochure Supporting and Connecting Youth (SACY), Vancouver School Board

SOGI 1 2 3 Education The ARC Foundation in collaboration with education partners SOGI 1 2 3 helps educators make schools inclusive and safe for students of all sexual orientations and gender identities (SOGI). The BC site includes: curriculum resources, pro-d opportunities, information on how to join the network and self-identify as a school lead, and parent resources.

Welcoming Schools A Project of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation Website with resources and bias-based bullying prevention program which uses an intersectional, anti-racist lens to provide LGBTQ and gender inclusive pro-d and training, lesson plans, booklists, and resources.

Recommended Books for Teachers and Staff:

Decolonize Workbooks by Michelle Lorna Nahanee
Gender: Your Guide (2019) by Lee Airton, PhD
Decolonizing Trauma Work (2014) by Renee Linklater
The Myth of Normal (2022) by Gabor Maté
Growing up Resilient - Ways to build resilience in children and youth (2007) by T. Barankin & N. Khanlou
Unsettling Canada (2015) by Arthur Manuel and Grand Chief Ronald M. Derrickson
Rethinking Sexism, Gender, and Sexuality (2016) Rethinking Schools Publication

Recommended Books for Students:

Substance Use and Mental Health:

Mindfulness in Recovery Workbook (2018) by John Bruna
Mindfulness for Emerging Adults (2018) by Donna Torney
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts (2009) by Gabor Maté, MD
Keys to Unlocking Depression (2016) by Michael D. Yapko
My Anxious Mind: A Teen's Guide to Managing Anxiety and Panic (2009) by Tompkins
The Anxiety Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Deal with Anxiety and Worry (2008) by Lisa M. Schab

2SLGBTQ+:

The Queer Mental Health Workbook (2022) by Dr. Brendan J Dunlop
The Queer & Transgender Resilience Workbook (2018) by Anneliese Singh PhD, LPC
Seeing Gender: An Illustrated Guide to Identity and Expression. (2019) by Iris Gottlieb
Growing Up Trans - in our own words (2021) edited by Dr. Lindsay Herriot and Kate Fry

Other books:

The Women's Atlas. (2018) by Joni Seager
Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults (2022) by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Adapted by Monique Gray Smith
Hip Hop Beats, Indigenous Rhymes. (2018) by Kyle T Mays
Transitions: Making the most of your campus experience. (2019) by Stan Kutcher
Do What You Are - Discover the perfect career through your personality type (2007) by P. Tieger & B. Barron
Careers - The ultimate guide to planning your future (2019) by Dk
Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada (2018) Canadian Geographic