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Making the most of a new phase
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Phases come and go. Whatever phase we’re in, why not try to use it to our advantage, whether it’s the phases of pandemic re-opening across the country, a growth phase for the field of mental health promotion, or an upcoming 4-year, second phase for the Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund (MHP-IF). As a distinguishable part of something, phases are a chance to illuminate different parts at different times. This edition of the Hub Update illuminates some global and local assets for Mental Health Promotion, presented at the Hub’s open webinar on May 31st, and some features of the MHP-IF that are most prominent in its second phase – theories of change, research and evaluation planning, and health equity – as projects move into more fulsome implementation and study of interventions, along with planning for scaling promising approaches.
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Recent highlights
Hub resources for developing theories of change: webinar, blog, and resources
Theories of change help create a shared understanding of how an initiative contributes to desired change. An innovation in the second phase of the MHP-IF is projects developing theories of change. The Hub recently kicked off a suite of supports focused on theories of change, starting with a webinar led by Steve Montague. In his presentation, Steve provided an overview of theories of change, their uses, essential components, various types of theories of change, and relevant resources. A recording, presentation slides, and Event Brief are available. Highlights and resources from the webinar were shared as part of a subsequent blog post. The resource section of kdehub.ca also offers select annotated theory of change resources, some of which were recently added.
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May 31 Hub open webinar: Mental Health Promotion in Canada – leveraging global and local assets to accelerate our progress and impact
Registration for this webinar signals strong interest in mental health promotion (MHP) in Canada. We were pleased to welcome a large and diverse group and heartened by thoughtful questions and feedback – thank you! It truly is the tip-of-the-iceberg, since so many people and organizations contribute to MHP without calling it that.
The webinar started with local assets. Barb Riley (Scientific Director, KDE Hub) featured the 20 MHP-IF projects by introducing a new video that showcases recently released infographics. Shannon Bradley Dexter (MHP-IF Team, Public Health Agency of Canada) provided an overview of the national MHP-IF funding program. Emily Jenkins (Co-author of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) position statement on health promotion; MHP-IF Project Lead) spoke to the global context for MHP, with a focus on the IUHPE’s position statement on critical actions for MHP. The webinar recording, presentation slides, and an Event Brief are available.
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Newly released: Hub video about the MHP-IF introducing project infographics
With a public debut at the May 31st open webinar, this brief animated video provides an overview of the MHP-IF and invites viewers to learn more about the who, what, where, why, and how of each project by accessing recently developed project infographics. Initial feedback tells us the infographics are engaging, informative, and help people consider interests they share with one or more projects. We invite you to view and share the video and infographics within your networks.
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June 16 webinar: Research and evaluation planning
Following initial intervention development, testing and significant pandemic adaptations in phase 1 of the MHP-IF, there is a strong emphasis on relevant and well-designed intervention studies in phase 2. Led by the Hub’s scientific director, Barb Riley, the June 16 webinar focused on key considerations in a systematic approach to research and evaluation planning starting with use in mind – new knowledge development, decision-making for project improvement, accountability. Four common gaps were identified spanning worldviews, priority questions, measures and study designs, and projects provided input on Hub tools that might best support this process. Check out the webinar recording, slides, and Event Brief. Hub tools on research and evaluation planning will be posted on our website.
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Looking ahead
June 30 webinar: Exploring health equity
‘No one is protected unless everyone is protected’; both a simple and a profound statement in Dr. Tam’s most recent annual report that reinforces the importance of health equity. Even though it took a pandemic to engage the public more broadly on the issue of equity, health equity has deep roots in (mental) health promotion and in the Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund (and former Innovation Strategy). Phase 2 of the MHP-IF will illuminate the concept even more, along with its application. The MHP-IF community convened on June 30th to discuss principles and approaches for advancing health equity, along with some tools to support this work. Webinar co-leads from the Public Health Agency of Canada’s MHP-IF team are featured in this edition’s Spotlight. Following the webinar, a summary of the event will be publicly available on the Hub website.
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KDE Hub’s 2nd Annual Symposium: Coming in 2022!
We are entering a planning phase for the next KDE Hub Annual Symposium in early 2022. Informed by interest in our 2021 symposium, next year’s event will be open, while also providing select sessions for the MHP-IF projects. Our 2022 virtual event will capitalize on post-pandemic plans and conditions for advancing mental health promotion in Canada. A co-designed event will be a well-designed event. Would you like to help shape this event? We will have a wide range of options from periodic feedback to program and session development. All are welcome; members of MHP-IF project teams, the Hub Resource Collaborative and beyond. Please contact us at kdehub@uwaterloo.ca to express your interest.
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The KDE Hub supports connections and learning amongst the MHP-IF projects and others who aspire to optimal mental health promotion for young Canadians. One way we do this is seeking and sharing timely resources, events and research from the field of child and youth mental health promotion. Here are a few of the items that have caught our attention recently:
- A little over a year ago, the Hub hosted a webinar on developmental evaluation (DE). Released this month, A Developmental Evaluation Companion, expands the niche of DE for a time of increasing complexity, adaptation, and social innovation. It includes guidance on the design, methods and use of DE.
- The Atlantic Summer Institute increases understanding of the importance of infant, child and youth mental health and fosters policy actions to influence upstream investment. The Atlantic Policy Forum on Mental Health Promotion, The Great Reconnect: Personal, Community and Societal Resilience in a Post-COVID-19 World, is an online event, August 23-25, 2021.
- Children First Canada released a new resource on mitigating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and youth. You may also be interested in the related interactive tool and infographic produced in partnership with Stats Can.
- A new video from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University on early childhood experiences includes an explanation of the importance of upstream approaches for health promotion.
- Canada is hosting the 24th IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion in Montreal next May. A call for abstracts was recently issued on the theme Promoting policies for health, well-being and equity.
- Between September 2020 and March 2021, more than 1,500 people engaged in the design of Inspiring Healthy Futures, an action framework launched last month to improve the health and well-being of children, youth and families in Canada.
- Recent opportunities for funding relevant to child and youth mental health promotion include the Intersectoral Action Fund (Public Health Agency of Canada) and an Operating Grant on Understanding and mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children, youth and families in Canada (Canadian Institutes of Health Research).
- The World Health Organization and UNICEF released the Helping Adolescents Thrive Toolkit to support the implementation of guidelines on mental health promotion and prevention interventions.
Let us know if there are new resources, events or research you would like us to share. We love to hear from you: kdehub@uwaterloo.ca.
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Hub Spotlight: Kelly Kavanagh Salmond and Andrea Simpson
Kelly and Andrea are Policy Analysts and members of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s MHP-IF team. They are in the spotlight here and on June 30th when they led a Hub webinar focused on health equity.
Kelly and Andrea are both passionate about health equity and have undertaken an impressive program of work that translates health equity concepts into practical actions. Kelly has worked in the field of health policy for over 10 years, previously with the Pan American Health Organization on the social determinants of health in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Kelly is so keen about this work that she is doing her PhD in her ‘spare’ time! Andrea has more than fifteen years’ professional experience working in federal policy and program environments, at national and regional (Atlantic) levels. Her areas of interest and expertise include gender-based and equity policy analysis, social determinants of health, improving data in population health, and knowledge mobilization.
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The Knowledge Development and Exchange Hub is dedicated to advancing child and youth mental health promotion in Canada. Our niche is supporting projects funded through the Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund and others with shared interests. Learn more at kdehub.ca. |
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