Mental Health Capacity Building in Schools is one of the innovative initiatives being implemented throughout Alberta that will improve the health and well-being of children, youth and their families, and strengthen our communities.

This initiative is truly innovative because it brings together a number of people and professionals at the grassroots community level to help children learn how to self-protect their mental health from an early age. Teachers and other school personnel, parents, health care professionals and community organizations all work together, as one, to achieve this goal. And this critical help is provided within the school setting, where children spend most of their time.

The initiative has enjoyed great success so far in that sites that have been developed for children and youth in various schools across the province. The project teams and partners continue to help children, youth and their families achieve success both inside and outside of the classroom, while building and promoting resiliency. Resiliency, the ability to bounce back from setback and cope well with change and adversity, is required for children and youth to succeed in all areas of life. Additionally, these projects are able to provide early intervention services for those students who do require services to help them deal with mental health issues they or their families are experiencing.