Mental health
Expert to address child and youth issues at symposium
Expert to address child and youth issues at symposium
An internationally acclaimed expert on child mental health is coming to P.E.I. to share innovative strategies and ideas for improving mental health in Atlantic Canada. Professor Margaret Barry is head of the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Centre for Health Promotion Research.
She is the keynote speaker for the Atlantic Summer Institute’s (ASI) Symposium on Promoting Child and Youth Mental Health. It takes place on Monday, Aug. 21, 6:30 p.m. at Holland College’s Florence Simmons Performance Hall in Charlottetown.
She also serves as the chair of Health Promotion and Public Health at the National University of Ireland.
The presentation is open to the public as part of the opening ceremony of the symposium. Barry’s presentation will address “thinking upstream” and innovative, international approaches to child and youth mental health promotion.
“She is a credible and passionate voice for policies and practices that promote the mental health of children and youth. She will challenge our audience to become champions for change in their communities, empowering children and youth to become healthy, productive citizens,” organizers said. The event features prominent international and regional experts sharing strategies for supporting children and youth, as well as opportunities for collaboration and networking among participants.
“Anyone involved in advancing youth mental health should hear Professor Barry speak,” says Patsy Beattie-Huggan, ASI co-ordinator. “She has so much inspiration to share, and she drives home the concept that ‘upstream’ action means directing the conversation beyond issues such as treatment and access to care, to the larger factors that promote positive mental health, such as income, education, housing, nutrition, family and community support, and more.”
The ASI Symposium runs from Aug. 21 to 23 in Charlottetown and registration is open to anyone interested in child and youth mental health, and some spaces remain for new registrants.