This release was issued under a previous government.
The Government of Alberta will provide $135,000 each year for three years to Olds College to improve mental health supports on campus. This funding is part of the overall $25.8 million investment between 2017-20 to protect and improve mental health resources to post-secondary students at publicly funded institutions across Alberta.
“Our government’s increased investment in student mental health programs is an important commitment to help students succeed. Mental health challenges have a significant impact on far too many students, and we are making these public investments so all students across the province have access to these programs when they need them.”
In June 2017, Government of Alberta announced new equitable funding that significantly increases and improves mental health supports for post-secondary students across Alberta. Last year, Olds College received $30,000 from an Alberta Students’ Executive Council government grant to support mental health initiatives. Now, for the first time government is providing $135,000 for the next three years directly to Olds College.
“Understanding and promoting positive mental health, while providing easy access to a variety of resources and supports is critical to student success. Thanks to the long term funding commitment from the Government of Alberta, we can be confident going forward that our students will continue to have mental health and wellness supports available to them during a time in their life that can be both exciting and stressful.”
“Today’s post-secondary students experience an increasing amount of stress and anxiety from their classes, moving away from home and economic pressures. It is crucial that our colleges and universities work with students to provide mental health and wellness resources that will help everyone achieve success. Thank you to Alberta Advanced Education and Olds College for working with the Students' Association in recognizing the difficulties that students can face and establishing support systems to assist students.”
The 2016 National College Health Assessment survey conducted at 10 post-secondary institutions across the province showed high incidences of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. With good mental health supports in place, mental well-being is linked to academic achievement, learning, retention and future achievement.
To find out more about the new equitable funding provided to all public post-secondary institutions across Alberta and how the provincial government is improving post-secondary mental health and addictions supports for students, please visit Next Steps to Improve Post-Secondary Student Mental Health.