OLDS — Students in much of region did their part to promote mental health last week.
They did so by participating in Let’s Chalk About It, a program whereby students write positive messages with chalk on local sidewalks and other high traffic areas.
They wrote messages like "You matter" and "Believe in yourself."
It’s done each year as part of Canadian Mental Health Week and is organized by the Youth Empowerment Support (YES) program that provides support for youth – including mental health assistance.
This year, it was expanded to not only include Olds and Didsbury, but also Bowden, Carstairs, Spruce View, Delburne and Elnora.
In Olds, during the week of May 3-6 those positive messages were drawn in the town's uptown area as well as outside École Deer Meadow School, the Olds Fire Department and the RCMP station.
Let’s Chalk About It was undertaken last year in Olds and Didsbury, but it was very different, due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Chalk was dropped off in various sites in those two communities.
"We had pre-packaged the chalk and had Lysol wipes and everything – sanitization stations, and they could pick up the chalk and could go anywhere in the community in Olds and Didsbury,” YES success coach Ashten Paquette said during an interview.
This year, with more experience with COVID, organizers reverted back to the way they’d done Let’s Chalk About It in previous years.
“Last year the kids weren’t in school, they were online schooling, so we couldn’t -- obviously for safety reasons – go get them and take them places," Paquette said.
“So it’s just nice to be able to have the kids involved in it and they look forward to it as well. They put a lot of thought into their art and their messages, which is really great.
“Just to have the younger kids promote mental health and be aware of it and know that it’s OK to not feel OK and OK to talk and stuff.”
She said it’s just nice to see the kids back outside having fun and spreading positive messages.
“I get to work in the classroom all school year, that’s kind of a bonus part of being with the YES program.
“It’s kind of nice to be able to see them outside of the classroom and to be able to do things uptown,” she said. “And I think it’s good for the kids to get out and see their community.”
