Student engagement

Student engagement in higher education include all opportunities for the student population to actively participate in the academic, social and community life of their institution. This involvement can take many forms, such as student representation, involvement in committees, or participation in awareness-raising or consultation projects.

This commitment can influence institutional, local and national policies to contribute to inclusive and caring learning environments. This committed position of the student population is all the more essential as it constitutes a privileged interlocutor, capable of understanding and voicing the challenges and needs of its peers, and advocating for structural solutions.

Which actions can contribute to support measures associated with student engagement and mental health in the student population?

• Include students in the campus’s institutional mental health committee
• Conduct a wide-ranging consultation with students on the strategies they feel would help improve their mental health.
• Identify students as mental health ambassadors who can promote resources and support their peers.
• Create discussion forums (committees or working groups) within institutions where students can develop recommendations on mental health issues and present them to the authorities.
• Adopt a clear, official policy recognizing student commitment.

Reference

Canadian Association of College and University Student Services (CACUSS). The Post-Secondary Student Mental Health: Guide to a Systemic Approach

Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal. (2024). Outil synthèse : les facteurs d’influence de la santé mentale étudiante, des leviers pour agir! (french only)

Union étudiante du Québec (2017). L’engagement étudiant