How much do the kits cost?

In 2019, the Government of Manitoba announced a significant three-year investment based on the early impact and success of the Thrival Kits™ project. This has meant that starting in fall 2020, our project team is able to offer kits to approximately 30,000 students in Manitoba. The kits are currently being offered free for every Manitoba school enrolled. We often receive requests for this project outside of Manitoba and are excited to keep seeing this project grow. Costs associated with this project are minimal, so if you would like to bring Thrival Kits™ to students in your area, contact us and we can discuss this with you directly.

How do I receive Thrival Kits™ for my school?

Enrolment typically begins in May of each school year for that fall. Because this project follows a curriculum, the enrolment window closes each fall, usually in early October. More information on how to enroll will be posted prior to the enrolment beginning each year, but if you have questions or want to know more, please contact us at info@thrivalkits.ca

Thrival Kits™ typically arrive in October, so the program can be delivered in classrooms from November to June.

Do we receive any training?

Yes. In September, a virtual training was recorded and is available for viewing once teachers log in to the facilitator hub. This training is for schools who have enrolled and are expecting kits to arrive during the specified delivery time allotted for the current school year. If you want to know more about what training entails, email info@thrivalkits.ca for more information.

Why are grades 4 – 6 students the focus of Thrival Kits™?

Children at this age are naturally curious about themselves and are exploring concepts of who they are and their identities. Thrival Kits™ address a gap in evidence-informed mental health promotion programming for grades 4–6. We focused on this age group because according to ongoing youth suicide research conducted by the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth (see Phase One report here and Phase Two report here), youth who are most at risk of suicide begin to struggle with consistent school attendance after age 12. School classrooms remain one of the most common environments that deliver suicide prevention work, but the students who most need that information may not actually be in the classroom to receive it. Therefore, Thrival Kits™ targets grades 4–6, when nearly all children are still attending daily education programming, when students are naturally exploring their personal identities, and where there often exists strong bonds between the student and their regular homeroom teacher.

I have a split grade class with students that are not in grades 4 – 6, can I still enroll those students?

In order to remain consistent with the fidelity of the program, we recommend only enrolling your grades 4 – 6 students in this program. Thrival Kits™ was developed with the social-emotional development of grades 4 – 6 students in mind. If you are looking for programming for grades K – 3 or 7 and up, please contact info@thrivalkits.ca.

Pandemic related questions How can I deliver Thrival Kits™ virtually if we have to close the schools?

Most activities in Thrival Kits™ can be adapted to virtual learning with some creativity. We encourage teachers to adapt the activities to fit their schedule and classroom needs. Additionally, we have created eight weekly activities with video instructions for teachers to use if they are finding it difficult to adapt the activities in the facilitator’s guide.

Thrival Kits™ FAQ | School-Based Mental Health Services Winnipeg

Q: What are Thrival Kits™?

Thrival Kits™ is a mental health promotion project for children ages 8 to 12 and grades 4-6. Thrival Kits™ are shoeboxed sized kits that students fill with small meaningful items as they complete classroom challenges and activities throughout the school year. At the end of the school year, each participating student has their very own mental wellness toolkit to take with them into the summer and beyond.

Q: What do I do with kits at the end of the year?

Thrival Kits™ are to be sent home with students to encourage the daily use of mental health promotion strategies at home and throughout the summer.

What are Thrival Kits™?

Thrival Kits™ is a program delivered by teachers to any Manitoba student in grades 4 to 6 (aged 8-12 years), designed to promote mental health and well-being using evidence-informed strategies and activities. The physical shoe-box size kit is seen much like a survival kit, however, when considering its learning outcomes like strengthening social-emotional skills it only seems fitting to recognize it as an opportunity to Thrive. Thrival Kits™ can be facilitated both in English and French.

How was this program created?

This program was created within the social-emotional learning outcomes of grades 4 – 6 students. In addition to this, the program is specifically created to allow the classroom teachers to be the facilitators. This practice allows the program to build from the strong bond students have with their classroom teachers, and in turn, making it more impactful. Because it was co-produced with Manitoba Teachers and educators, it is a program that is easy to follow and flexible to fit teaching schedules.

What is the cost to deliver Thrival Kits™ to your students?

Program facilitators are now responsible for the purchasing of physical supplies for student kits. For a list of recommended supplies, please contact the Youth Mental Health Promotion Coordinator.

Is there an opportunity to provide feedback for Thrival Kits™?

Thrival Kits™ is committed to excellence. Please send any suggestions for improvement to us. Your feedback will help us improve the Facilitator Guide, activities and resources of the Thrival Kits™ and, most importantly, will ensure the best possible mental health outcomes for children and youth. Contact us at: info@thrivalkits.ca

How do I receive Thrival Kits™ for my students?

Program facilitators are now responsible for the purchasing of physical supplies for student kits. For a list of recommended supplies, please contact the Youth Mental Health Promotion Coordinator.

What do I do with kits at the end of the year?

Thrival Kits are to be sent home with students to encourage the daily use of mental health promotion strategies at home and throughout the summer.

What are the supports in place for teachers?

If you are struggling with a specific theme, we encourage you to consult the materials provided in the facilitator hub on our website. If you find this is not what you are looking for, please contact info@thrivalkits.ca or a member of our project team with your questions and concerns.

Research shows that educator well-being is critical to teacher effectiveness, student outcomes, and positive school climate (Hascher & Waber, 2021). The Care for All in Education (CFAE) (a Canadian Mental Health Association initiative) are resources developed to promote the mental health and well-being of every employee in the education sector in Manitoba schools. These resources and programs support recovery and promote wellness in response to the current, emerging and diverse mental health concerns of the education sector. Access to the resources and programs are free and available to all. There is a web portal and school-based workshops. Connecting to the CFAE is accessible by chat, telephone or email.

Contact: Care for All in Education
Web - https://careforallineducation.com/
Email - info@careforallineducation.com
Phone - 1-877-602-1660

Do I repeat the same curriculum in the next year?

Yes. Repetition is encouraged to embed mental health practices and rights-based knowledge into the daily lives of students. Every year, students will receive a new student kit and teachers will receive a new facilitator kit in order to engage in all activities.

How do I gain access to program materials?

All of the material is located in the Engage and Exchange Hub. If you have created a facilitator account on our website (thrivalkits.ca) you will have access to the facilitator guide, along with other material and videos that you can use as you implement Thrival Kits™ in your classrooms. Included are some screenshots in order to help you locate how to create a Thrival Kits account.

Below is a video (30 seconds) demonstrating how to create your Facilitator account: Thrival Kits - Creating a Facilitator Account - New Account - YouTube

Once I have created my account, how do I find the material?

Once you have created your account, you will be able to access all the facilitator materials; including the facilitator guide, resource bundle, and videos that accompany some of the lessons. Below are some screenshots demonstrating how to locate these materials.

In the Engage and Exchange Hub, there will be tabs on top of the page (Forums, Members, Recent Posts, etc). The last tab on the right will say “facilitator materials.” If you drag your mouse onto that tab, a drop-down menu will come up and this is where the facilitator guide will be.

If you click on each theme, it will bring you to a page which includes an activity list, which corresponds with the activities in the facilitator guide. Click on the desired activity, and you will see the audio/visual component you can use for that specific activity.

FAQ

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