ELAN's ArtEd Mental Health Initiative

The ArtEd Mental Health Initiative started in 2021 and is currently in its second year. In order to better equip Teaching Artists in meeting student needs, ELAN ArtEd offers Teaching Artists professional development in Mental Health through learning communities targeting Children and Pre-teens ages 5-14, Youth ages 15-29 and Seniors ages 65+. In the 2021-22 school year, the project reached 14 Teaching Artists, 60 schools and community organizations, and over 3400 youth. They also received a major increase in funding (33%) for the youth initiative.

The program has connected with 25 community organizations across Quebec by attending multiple Communities of Practice including the CHSSN Mental Health Initiative Retreat in Saint-Raymond, Quebec, and a networking lunch in Montreal.

Here’s an overview of some of the 2022 Mental Health Initiative

In 2021-22, the project reached:
- 14 Teaching Artists, of which 5 identify as youth (under 35 years of age)
- 60 school and community organisations
- Over 3400 youth

This program is growing!
- The program grew from a youth-centred initiative to now train Teaching Artists working with Children and Pre-Teens ages 5-14, and Seniors ages 55+
Connected with 25 community organizations across Quebec by attending multiple Communities of Practice including the CHSSN Mental Health Initiative Retreat in Saint-Raymond, QC and a Montreal networking lunch
Partnered with QWF, QDF and CHSSN for Artist recruitment. This year, there are::
- 12 Teaching Artists in the Youth learning community
- 11 Teaching Artists in the Child and Pre-Teen learning community
- 11 Teaching Artists in the Seniors learning community

Land Acknowledgement

ELAN is an official minority language organization within a country that recognizes two languages as official. ELAN is located in Tiohtià:ke, the original name for Montreal in Kanien’kéha, the language of the Mohawk—also known as Mooniyang, which is the Anishinaabeg name given to the city by the Algonquin. While we are based in this city, our projects have also taken place in many regions across Quebec.

We acknowledge the colonial origin of English and French in Canada, and recognize that both languages benefit from official status throughout the land. The province that we know as Quebec is an amalgamation of the traditional territories of the Innu and Inuit nations, Algonquian nations, as well as the Mohawk nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Kanien’kéha and Anishinaabemowin are but two of the original languages of this province; Atikamekw, Cree, Inuktitut, and Innu-aimun are also among the many Indigenous languages spoken across Quebec as majority languages, all well before French and English.

ELAN acknowledges the important work being done by First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to revive the traditional languages of these territories, and their advocacy for the official status of Indigenous languages.