🚨Belonging: the protective factor that is built in the details
🔍💡 Mental health at school: an Ontario guide to identify what unintentionally excludes — welcome, rules, supports, way of designing actions.
🧭 Questions for self-reflection and concrete actions to co-construct with the least heard students and families
📌 📌 A mental health promotion action can unintentionally exclude: through welcome, images, language, regulations or the way it was designed. This short guide starts from the feeling of belonging as a protective factor. It provides a self-reflection framework and concrete actions in five areas: welcome, participation, literacy, teaching, families and partners. It serves to review an existing project, prepare a practice analysis or build an action with the young people and families that are rarely seen. Ontario context: framework and vocabulary to be adapted before use in France.
Source :
📒 AMPLIFY — Amplifying the perspectives and experiences of marginalised groups in the promotion of mental health in schools, in order to improve the well-being of every student.
✍️ School Mental Health Ontario / School Mental Health Ontario (SMS-ON), provincial support organisation for the Ontario Ministry of Education (Canada) June 2026📜🔗LINK to the source
1️⃣ Analytical summary
Belonging as leverage, systemic exclusion as an obstacle
The document presents the sense of belonging as a key factor in mental health (p. 1) and develops the domain "amplify" of the AI-SMS framework (p. 1-2). It describes how white European cultural norms, linked by the authors to colonisation and the transatlantic slave trade, shape school policies and practices and keep other viewpoints on the margins (p. 2-3). Black and Indigenous students are the primary target, but the text also addresses students with disabilities, poverty or chronic illness, new allophone arrivals, and young 2S/LGBTQIA+ individuals (p. 3). It cites external data on disparities and suicidal ideation (p. 3-4) and relies on the student forums #ONecoute 2021, which reject a "one-size-fits-all" approach (p. 5-6).
A self-reflection grid and level 1 actions for all staff
Amplification is situated at level 1 (universal promotion) of the harmonised and integrated model; promotion is presented as the responsibility of all staff (p. 5). The guide offers self-reflection questions (p. 6-7), then, for five areas, actions formulated "In my role, what can I do to…" with examples: welcome and environment (p. 7-8); participation and belonging, with a warning against tokenism and assimilation (p. 8-9); mental health literacy graduated according to roles (p. 10-11); teaching and adapting resources (p. 11-12); collaboration with families and partners (p. 12-13). Each area refers to SMS-ON tools. The document provides neither evaluation data nor monitoring indicators.
2️⃣ Key points of the document
1️⃣ Belonging as a point of entry. It is built through the representation of identities, experiences and perspectives of students in the programmes and classes, and through meeting spaces with families and the community (p. 1).
2️⃣ A grid in five areas aligned with the MHI triangle. Welcoming, inclusive, understanding, promoting, collaborating: each area outlines actions in the first person, with concrete examples — learning the names of students and pronouncing them correctly (p. 7), establishing common expectations with students and families (p. 9), presenting role models from Black and Indigenous communities (p. 12).
3️⃣ Inclusion is not representation. Without changes to policies and practices, inclusion can produce tokenism (symbolic efforts) or pressures of assimilation; the text defines both concepts (p. 9).
4️⃣ A mental health literacy graded according to roles. General awareness for all, spotting knowledge for staff in close contact with students, expert-level training for therapeutic services (p. 10).
5️⃣ The voice of students as input data. #WeListen 2021 highlights two axes: strength-based learning and identity affirmation, promotion and prevention taking into account cultures (p. 5-6). The guide recommends consulting students, families and the community before any campaign launch (p. 13).
3️⃣ Action points for local actors
1️⃣ Conduct a welcoming audit of the structure. From the examples p. 7-8: names pronounced correctly, display, languages, visuals, implicit rules (dress codes, recognition of cultural practices). Adaptation UK: in a public establishment, religious signs fall under the legal framework (law of 15 March 2004); the audit focuses on what remains to local discretion.
2️⃣ Use team self-reflection questions. The questions p. 6-7 lend themselves to a practice analysis session; the document specifies that collective learning and group discussions complement individual self-reflection (p. 7).
3️⃣ Put each project to the test of "tokenism / assimilation." Who participated in the design, at what stage, with what decision-making authority (p. 9)? Plan for multiple modes of participation over time and different leadership styles (p. 9).
4️⃣ Consult students and families before launching a campaign. Students identify what works, sensitivities, and good examples (p. 13). Anticipate the reported language barriers for newly arrived families (p. 3) and create connections through positive news (p. 13).
5️⃣ Gradually train mental health by role. Awareness, detection, expertise (p. 10). In the UK, articulate with the mental health protocol for students and key staff (see section 4).
6️⃣ Build resources with community partners. Consult cultural and religious partners, allow students to rely on their own sources of support (p. 12-13). Unmet need: no tracking indicator is proposed; for example, integrate questions about belonging in a school climate survey, a source mentioned in the document (p. 11).
4️⃣ Additional references
Internal Articles Health Practices
🔗 Issues Mental health — A tool on the determinants of mental health
PES sheet on a tool (Cultures & Health and partners) that addresses racism, ableism, sexism, and LGBTphobias as determinants of mental health. Direct complement on the discrimination axis.
🔗 Act to promote the mental health and well-being of students (Éduscol)
PES sheet on the Éduscol resource: role of headteachers and school leaders, supportive environments, mental health protocol. French transposition of level 1.
External references (post-2024)
1️⃣ Ministry of National Education — Notice of the mental health protocol for students "From identification to care" (June 2025)
French framework for identification, alert, and orientation, with a resource team and reference staff. Complements the Ontario document, focused on universal promotion, by the following levels. URL open and verified.
2️⃣ Public Health France — The psychosocial skills. An operational framework for expert professionals and CPS trainers. Volume II (Lamboy B. et al., 2026, 224 p.)
French framework on CPS, including social skills (resolving relational difficulties). Methodological complement for level 1 actions. Verified page (published on 2 February 2026).
3️⃣ Runions K. et al. — Acceptability of a Multi-Tiered, Identity-Affirming School Mental Health Strategy: An Audit of Ontario School District Action Plans. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 36(3), 263-276 (online May 2026)
Translation : « Acceptability of a Multi-Tiered, Identity-Affirming School Mental Health Strategy: Audit of Ontario School Board Action Plans ». Of the 61 plans analysed, the component « amplifying diverse perspectives » appears in 32.8% of the plans and « sense of belonging » in 21.3%. Reserve : research article, not a guide; authors employed by SMH-ON, declared conflict of interest. Open access, URL verified.
URL : https://doi.org/10.1177/20556365261450641
5️⃣ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1️⃣ What does « amplify » mean?
To make the voices often sidelined more heard (definition adapted from Higgs et al., 2021). This occurs at the systemic (level of research, resources) and personal (individual biases) (p. 2).
2️⃣ Why a focus on Black and Indigenous students?
The document invokes the history of oppression and cited data on disparities and suicidality (p. 2-4). It specifies that this approach does not come at the expense of other groups and benefits the learning of all (p. 4).
3️⃣ Who is responsible for promoting mental health?
« Everyone must participate »: it is a shared responsibility of the school community (p. 5).
4️⃣ Where to start?
By self-reflection: questions about what to learn, the skills and training needs (p. 6-7), supplemented by a collective learning (p. 7).
5️⃣ What difference is there between inclusion and tokenism?
Tokenism refers to limited or symbolic efforts that give the impression of a fair process; real inclusion requires structural changes to policies and practices (p. 9).
6️⃣ What level of training for whom?
General awareness for all; spotting knowledge for staff in close contact with students; expert level for therapeutic services (p. 10).
7️⃣ How to involve families?
Build trusting relationships (share positive news), acknowledge parents' expertise, communicate continuously to reduce stigma, plan for real mechanisms for contribution (p. 13).
6️⃣ Rewriting in Easy to Read and Understand (FALC)
What is this document about?
This document comes from Canada, from the province of Ontario.
It talks about the mental health of students at school.
Mental health is feeling good in your mind.
The document is written for adults who work at school.
Why is it important?
A student does better when they feel at home at school.
Some students do not feel at home.
For example: black or indigenous students.
Or poor, disabled students or those who have come from another country.
They are listened to less often than others.
The document asks for them to be listened to more.
What each adult can do
Learn the name of each student and pronounce it correctly.
Reflect on one's own preconceived ideas.
Ask the students for their opinions before starting an activity.
Talk often with the parents, also for the good news.
Show known people from different cultures.
Work with local associations.
Attention
Putting a student in a photo is not enough.
It is also necessary to change the rules that exclude them.
Each student is different.
One should not summarise them to a single group.
7️⃣ Cross-sectional analysis — Values of Health Practices
Literacy : mental health literacy graded by role, with a mission to raise awareness among students and families (p. 10); no adapted version for low reading levels.
Empowerment : students are involved at all stages, including the planning and implementation of well-being activities (p. 9), and encouraged to rely on their own sources of support (p. 12).
Participation : co-construction of common expectations with students and families, participation in various forms and styles of leadership (p. 9).
Community health : recognition of protective factors specific to communities (p. 4) and partnerships with community, cultural and religious groups (p. 12-13).
Ethics : cultural biases and implicit norms identified and named; call for cultural humility, examination of one's own position and to avoid stereotypes (p. 3, 8, 12).
Human rights : equity approach targeted at the most marginalised groups; no explicit reference to a legal framework of non-discrimination.
Intersectorality : school, families, school board mental health services and community partners (p. 5, 13).
Partnership : formalised model via the MHI (levels 1 to 3, "bridging" to council and community services) (p. 5).
Fight against discrimination : central theme — systemic racism, homophobia and transphobia, language barriers, risk of stereotypes and tokenism (p. 2-3, 9, 12).
8️⃣ Evaluation of the reliability of the resource
Scientific relevance — established facts
Provincial public agency, backed by a published strategic framework (AI-SMS, MHI). The document occasionally cites sources (Higgs et al. 2021; Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Mental Health Commission 2022; Kumar and Tjepkema 2019; Polonijo et al. 2022; Chandler and Lalonde 2008; Okoye and Saewyc 2021) but does not contain a complete bibliography. The SMS-ON resources are presented as developed with teachers, school mental health professionals and students (p. 11).
Scientific relevance — limitations
No method of development described for this specific document. The data #ONecoute 2021 is declarative, without size or representativeness specified. The normative stance (decentring “ whiteness”, p. 1) falls within a framework of values, not an empirical result. No impact assessment of the proposed practices. An audit published in 2026 by researchers linked to SMH-ON indicates that the component “amplify” appears in a third of the action plans of school boards (see section 4): an indication of partial implementation, not a measure of effectiveness.
Operational relevance
Strong for self-reflection, practice analysis and participatory design: concrete actions, examples, references to tools in French. Necessary transposition in France: legal framework of the school (secularism), regulation of data on origin, terminology of population categories, reference to Indigenous peoples specific to Canada.
9️⃣ Strategic hashtags
#healthpractices #MentalHealth #SchoolEnvironment #SenseOfBelonging #Equity #FightAgainstDiscrimination #CulturalHumility #YouthParticipation
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