The Mental Health Leads of the Avon Maitland District School Board and the Huron Perth Catholic District School Boards hosted this year's School Service Advisory Council Symposium earlier this month

by Bob Montgomey

Avon Maitland Mental Health Lead Heather Hirdies says the Symposium was held in collaboration with Huron Victim Services and the Ontario Provincial Police and it was the first Symposium they've been able to host since the pandemic.

Hirdes says coming out of the pandemic they've seen an increase in the number of students and an increase in younger students who are struggling both socially and emotionally as a result of the isolation caused by the pandemic. Hirdes says she also believes that the increase use of the internet and social media has resulted in some students being more comfortable texting than talking.

Hirdes adds, COVID prevented young people from part of a club or a sports team or even going to church and some students are finding it difficult to find out where they fit as they try to get back into their community or group. So it's easier to connect on their phones or online. Hirdes says the social skills that some students would usually have at this point are lacking because of the isolation of COVID and they're not comfortable reaching out to adults or other students.

Hirdes says the focus for this year's Symposium was child exploitation an human trafficking. She says the Ministry had asked school boards to create some policies and procedures around how to address incidents of human trafficking and Victims Services has been helping them create some curriculum for grade seven and eight students. She says more and more students and younger students, are being exposed to the potential for trafficking and being encouraged on some social media sites to do things like send explicit photos of themselves, so their looking at how they can recognize the signs and prevent dangerous activity.

Hirdes says young tend to be very trusting and they're trying to make them aware of some of the risks in trusting people they meet on the internet. Hirdes also says the Symposium was also very helpful in that they got to hear what several other agencies in Huron and Perth are doing to make young people aware of the risks and how to avoid them.