Well-Being Challenge Kit 

Developing a personal and communal sense of well-being can empower every student to confidently navigate the challenges and promise of the future.

Interest Form

“One-third (33%) of students report that they felt they needed professional mental health support during the past year, but did not seek it.”

- OSDUHS 2023 Mental Health & Well-Being Report, Summary (page vii)

School Communities Deserve Well-Being

Students today are navigating stress, identity, connection, and pressure, often without the tools or time to reflect on or manage their own sense of well-being. It’s a hard truth, but a changeable one. Students need opportunities to develop agency when it comes to their well-being. Importantly, there is more understanding and research about what actions young people can take and skills they can build to support their own and collective well-being.

Through the Well-Being Challenge Kit, more than 8,300 students, 250 classrooms, almost 140 schools have explored what this looks like in practice. Students like Jihan, have created initiatives that change trajectories for themselves and their communities.

In this Challenge Kit, students consider how they and the school community can support well being as they learn about:

Personal Harmony

Our well-being has different parts to it: physical, mental, emotional, social, and, for some, spiritual. Well-being is also about finding meaning in life that creates a sense of belonging. We want our well-being to be working together in harmony, so that each part is working together to keep us well.

Community Health

Every community, whether online, in-person, local, or global, is built on relationships. By reflecting on how we connect with others and engaging meaningfully, we can help make our communities stronger. By reflecting on how we connect with others and engaging in meaningful ways, we can help make our communities healthier and more supportive.

Environmental Interconnectedness

Like an ecosystem, we all thrive when we care for the spaces we share. Environmental well-being means acknowledging our role in the health of our homes, schools, and broader environments. When we care for these spaces, everything thrives—because, like an ecosystem, we’re all connected.

“We learned that it is important to feel empathy for others by being patient and kind. When we take the time to understand how someone is truly feeling we can build stronger relationships.”

- Student

“I have found for the kids, though it is not therapy, going through the process [of the Challenge Kit] has been like a form of therapy. They are able to engage with this content in an impactful way, have time to reflect on the materials, and it’s showing up in their daily lives. They want to solve the problem yes, but they want to improve their own lives through this content.”

- Middle School Parent Reflection

A Peek Inside

While we hear about well-being in many contexts, few students gain the tools and experiences to bring it into their own lives. The Well-Being Challenge Kit changes that by giving students space to reflect, test ideas, and design practical ways to care for themselves and their community. 

Students’ guiding challenge is:

How might our school community be partners with students to support their well-being?

This Challenge Kit brings together voices of people leading work within communities on well-being, offering their experiences, insights, and questions to help students learn about well-being concepts, strategies and tools. 

  • Ruth Silver, Principal, Groundswell

  • Zoe Barnes, Restorative Justice Program Coordinator, Peacebuilders Canada 

  • Hafiz Printer, Education Specialist, Aga Khan Museum

  • Lanrick Bennett Jr., Managing Director, 8 80 Cities

  • Andrea Thompson, Marketing and Communication Manager, FoodShare Toronto

  • Adil Dhalla, Director of Community, Reset

  • Students Ben Longley, Laurel Gain and Lisa Afundu

Challenge Kit designed by: Rena Taylor 

Rena Taylor is a bilingual Learning & Development Specialist and Program Lead with extensive experience designing and facilitating education for learners ages 4–60. She also founded a comedy festival to amplify underrepresented and tokenized artists, championing Canadian talent nationally and globally.

Want to learn more?

Challenge Kit Interest Form