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Webinar | Supporting the Well-being of International Students in K-12 Schools in British Columbia
Target audience: K-12 international student program administrators and staff.
The health and well-being of students is top of mind for many international student program administrators. BC’s Ministry of Education’s newly developed Health and Wellness Guidelines for International Students support international student programs efforts to care for their students by providing: cultural perspectives on mental health; a deeper understanding of acculturation stress and homesickness strategies; hands-on tools for building resilience, and for supporting students struggling with low mood or stress; and, a directory of curated resources on a variety of health topics.
This webinar will provide an overview of the components of Health and Wellness Guidelines for International Students and will explore strategies for supporting individual students. It will also review program-wide approaches that support all international students’ well-being and encourage early identification and action on health concerns. The webinar will conclude with an interactive discussion on the practical use of the Guidelines within your program.
Learning objectives:
- Enhance your understanding of how cultural perspectives affect mental health treatment and supports.
- Learn about effective practices for addressing the health and wellness needs of individual international students.
- Learn about effective program wide health and wellness strategies.
- Discuss how the Health and Wellness Guidelines could be used to support your international student program.
Presenters:
Kim Weatherby has worked in school health promotion for more than 15 years, with roles at the local, provincial, and national levels in non-profits and government. Her work has included a wide variety of health topics, including obesity, physical activity, healthy eating, and mental health. Kim has a strong interest in mental well-being and has led mental health work/initiatives at the BC Ministry of Education and DASH BC. Over the years, she has developed a wide range of health promotion materials targeting both students and educators.
Ronda Bell has been involved in international education for 20 years as an advisor, coordinator, and District Principal. She is currently a District Principal for the Qualicum International Students Program and an executive member of IPSEA.
Laura Schwertfeger is the District Principal of International Student Programs in Sooke School District. She has worked in the District since 2009, as a teacher of English Language Arts and French Immersion, and then as an administrator in the International Student Program. She has a passion for bringing together people from different cultures to increase intercultural understanding. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and American Literature and Language, a Bachelor of Education degree in Secondary Education, and a Masters’of Business Administration.
Karen Symonds began her teaching career in 1998 in Delta and has taught a variety of subjects, including Drama, Stagecraft, Advanced Placement English, Social Studies, and History. More recently, she was a Counsellor, Counselling Department Head and Coordinator of Inquiry at North Delta Secondary School. She has worked in international student programs for the past seven years as Principal of Student Support and now Director of the program. Karen has a Bachelors degree in Education and a Masters of Education Degree in Counselling Psychology, both from the University of Victoria.
Danielle Carter-Sullivan works at the Ministry of Education as the Director of Mental Health. This is a new role in the Ministry, created almost three years ago to respond to Governments focus on mental health and well-being as a key priority. Danielle has been a long-time public servant, working in six different ministries throughout the past 25 years.
To register for this event, please click here.
Registration deadline: 8:00 a.m. PT, March 31, 2021
For more information, please contact events@bccie.bc.ca.