Grant: Project Grant - PA: Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies Research

Social connectedness, which refers to a sense of belonging to an individual or group, is a central human need. It is a known protective factor for mental health (MH) and well-being, and against at-risk health behaviours for youth, which has lasting effects into adulthood. The COVID-19 pandemic has had detrimental effects on youth's social connectedness. The fall-out from this is expected to be felt for years to come, resulting in a sustained negative impact on the MH and well-being of youth. This study will address this gap and is in line with priorities identified by 'Inspiring Healthy Futures Vision for Canadian children, youth and families': the need to foster social connectedness, mobilize community action and partnerships including schools to support our youth, and engage with youth to create solutions. The aim of this multi-methods, youth-centered, arts-based longitudinal study is to gather evidence that will result in the creation of a toolkit that can be used by schools to foster social connectedness in youth to optimize their MH and well-being. Youth attending Grade 6 in the Seven Oaks School Division (SOSD) in Manitoba (MB) and key stakeholders (e.g., families, peers, teachers, counsellors) will be recruited. The youth will be followed as they transition from grade 6 to grades 7 and 8. Youth and stakeholders will take part in a variety of data collection methods including individual and focus group interviews and arts-based methods. A toolkit co-designed by youth will be implemented and evaluated over the course of the study. Short-term, a toolkit will emerge that can be used by schools in the SOSD to help foster social connectedness in youth, with the ultimate aim of advancing their MH and well-being. Long-term, this study will be used to inform the next steps in the research program, including adapting, implementing and evaluating the toolkit in other schools in MB with potential for future scale-up and testing across Canada.