Wellstream for Schools
Schools are on the frontlines of youth substance use challenges and need evidence-based guidance to inform a comprehensive and coordinated response. Wellstream for Schools responds through our pan-Canadian initiative, leveraging interdisciplinary expertise and novel cross-sector partnerships spanning education, health, youth organizations, and government to transform prevention approaches and improve child and youth trajectories.
Transforming Substance Use Harm Prevention in Schools Initiative
Phase
1
Characterizing the Landscape & Guiding Innovation
AIM: Strengthen intersectoral partnerships, including with school-based professionals, substance use experts, and youth networks, to characterize current practices and distill evidence to inform the co-development of national standards for substance use education and intervention in K-12
Phase
2
Making the Change, Building the Solutions, & Evaluating for Impact
AIM: Realize systems transformation by enacting co-developed implementation processes to facilitate the ratification and adoption of national standards across education systems. Develop and test low-barrier, evidence-aligned prototype resources to support practice change, and trial a data strategy to assess impacts on education systems and youth substance use more broadly.
Phase
3
Optimizing Outcomes
AIM: Produce a framework for continuous monitoring and refine research and data processes, implementation products, and training to scale practice resources across education systems and respond to emerging trends to strengthen impacts.
National School-Based Substance Use Standards
The development of school-based substance use standards is a partnership between Wellstream for Schools, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) and the Canadian Association of School System Administrators (CASSA). The process of standards development is supported by the CSA Group and informed by the collective expertise of K-12 education, allied health professionals, scholars and youth across the country.
Housed within Wellstream-Bienamont: The Canadian Centre for Innovation in Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use, at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Wellstream for Schools is dedicated to the mental health and substance use research and programming needs of the pan-Canadian K-12 school systems. Wellstream for Schools was co-founded by Dr. Emily Jenkins at UBC and Bunyaad Public Affairs.
