Unique in the Canadian post-secondary landscape, Collaborations for change (C4C) is back for two more days of stimulating dialogue and knowledge application. Organized for the first time in 2021The intention of this two-day biennial virtual conference co-hosted by the University of Calgary is to bridge the gap between research and practice to improve mental health outcomes for post-secondary students and communities.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada estimated that 28 percent of people aged 20 to 29 suffer from mental illness every year and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, three out of four students reported experiencing negative mental health during their studies. These statistics highlight the importance of a conference like C4C.
Conference program
Taking place August 16-17, this year’s conference will feature more than 30 presentations, as well as a keynote address from Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa, MD, of the University of Toronto; a panel of students; a panel with Indigenous elders; a committee of indigenous advisors; and daily meditation breaks.
Oriuwa, a resident physician in psychiatry, will share her ideas on promoting equity, transformative leadership and change in the world of health care and postsecondary education.
The conference’s student panel will consist of students from across Canada who will share their educational and mental health journeys and discuss current challenges and potential solutions.
The panel of Indigenous elders and the panel of Indigenous advisors will focus on Indigenous perspectives and experiences. The Elders panel will address Indigenous perspectives on wellness, while the Advisors panel will explore the role providers can play in providing relevant and safe spaces for Indigenous students as well as providing culturally appropriate services.
The conference aims for relevance, accessibility and intersectionality
“Being a student in a post-secondary environment is not getting any easier,” says Dr. Andrew Szeto, PhD, director of the University of Calgary. Campus Mental Health Strategy (CMHS) and professor in the Department of Psychology. “As we emerge from the pandemic, we face additional stressors that may impact our ability to thrive on campus. We developed our lecture streams largely in response to what we see not only on our campuses, but also in the broader contextual factors of our lives, relationships, and environments.
To provide bold solutions to new and changing challenges, C4C emphasizes collaborative approaches among students, service professionals, mental health providers, community partners and researchers.
This year there will be five conference streams: Collaboration and partnerships; Decolonization and indigenization; Equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility; Impact (on health and well-being); and systemic approaches. All themes will be addressed through more than 30 presentation and poster sessions.
The inaugural conference took place organized in 2021 and is a collaborative effort of three partners across the country: UCalgary CMHS; Best Practices in Higher Education in Canada (BP-Net); and the Canadian Association of College and University Student Services (ACCUSS).
C4C is accessible both in terms of design (as it is offered online) and affordability (registration fee is $100 for general access and $25 for students and anyone facing financial barriers ). The sessions will also be recorded and made available for six months.
“There are good reasons why many academic conferences and seminars are resuming in person,” says Szeto. “But we wanted to enable as many people as possible to participate and learn, presenters and attendees, and that means reducing barriers to participation.”
The conference will also once again feature a seed grant competition for projects designed to improve student mental health. The one-time grant of $10,000 is intended to serve as initial funding to start or pilot a project.
For more information on streams and presenters, as well as the full conference schedule, visit Collaboration for Change website.
Register now to participate in the conference.
