Alberta’s government announced the Child and Youth Well-being review. An expert panel, co-chaired by MLA Matt Jones and Minister of Children Services, Rebecca Schulz, will work to understand the psychological, social, educational and physical impacts of the pandemic on children and youth under the age of 19.
Preliminary research, including from the Hospital for Sick Kids, shows a majority of children and youth experienced harm to their mental health during the first wave of the pandemic. This impact is also reflected in the feedback that I’ve received from education partners, including my Minister’s Youth Council, throughout this year.
Through engagement such as town halls and surveys, the panel will hear and learn from children and youth, parents, guardians and caregivers, researchers, educators, health care and mental health professionals, and other subject matter experts. The panel will then provide government with a summary of impacts in fall of 2021 and is comprised of the following members:
- Dr. Kelly Schwartz, Associate Professor, School and Applied Child Psychology, in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary.
- Dr. Marcie Perdue, Associate Superintendent of Student Services, Chinook's Edge School Division.
- Dr. Jennifer Turner, Superintendent of Schools, Fort McMurray Public School Division.
- Carole Carifelle-Brzezicki, AHS Director of Indigenous Health, North.
- Dana Fulwiler, Assistant Instructor in the Masters of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania and Sessional Instructor in the B.Ed program at the University of Calgary.
- Nancy Mannix, Chair of the Palix Foundation.
Albertans are invited to share their thoughts and ideas with the panel through a survey at alberta.ca/child-and-youth-well-being-review.aspx until July 31.