Workshops for Schools

All IN Educators - Free Workshops for Schools

Created in memory of Megan Wolff,
an inspiring educator who made a difference in children’s lives.

We recognize that your role as educators focuses on supporting the whole child, both academically and emotionally. Supporting our youths’ mental health, especially during a global pandemic, has made your job even harder. When the relationship between educators and parents is at an optimum, all is better for everyone involved, and the mental health outcomes for youth are enhanced.

Through the lens of lived experience, our family peer workers offer a parent’s perspective. We have worked with teachers, counsellors and administrators to create a three-part workshop series that fosters healthy connections between schools and homes. Our workshops, available at zero cost, are designed to empower you, the educator, and give you tools and techniques to support you as you navigate your relationship with each of your student’s parents.

These workshops provide effective communication skills and build confidence by enhancing a better understanding of mental health challenges in today’s classrooms. Join us for one, two or all three of our free workshops to learn important skills and techniques that support a healthy connection between homes and schools. All workshops are 50 minutes long and are offered in-person or virtually.

All IN Educators is a branch of All IN Family, a non-profit organization located right here in Manitoba with the intention to serve and give back to our local community. We chose the name All IN Family because of the definition of All IN: “tired, exhausted and fully committed to a subject.” We chose the name All IN Educators because of your commitment to not only the education of students but also their mental health.

We work with your schedule. Why not invite us to a staff meeting, a lunch and learn or a professional development day?

Workshop 1 – True Connections Through Communication

When a student is struggling with a mental health challenge, the communication between home and school can be especially hard. The reality is when one person in a family is struggling with a mental health challenge, the entire family is struggling. Parents are not always showing up at their best during these times. Parents have battle fatigue, carry shame and feelings of failure, and feel vulnerable to judgement.

How do you build healthy, supportive relationships during these challenging times? You will learn new ways to navigate and nurture your own communication skills and gain a better understanding of a parent’s perspective.

Workshop 2 – Working Well Together, the All IN Approach to Communication

When working with families, we often hear of problems communicating effectively with schools and that the family unit itself is struggling with healthy communication. Educators have shared similar challenges when communicating with parents. Written forms of communication between both the teacher and the parent are often misinterpreted, which adds another layer of complexity to communication.

In this workshop, you will learn techniques that support the intention of your communication to enhance a stronger relationship with your student’s parents. You will learn how to identify communication barriers, understand what discourages communication, and you will learn tangible skills to support healthy communication. When intentionally practiced, these skills make it easier for all involved to work well together to collectively support the youth’s mental health.

Workshop 3 – Empowerment and Connection

At times it can be really frustrating for anyone supporting a youth who is struggling with mental health challenges. When we put forth helpful suggestions that are not embraced, or when we think the solution is obvious and our suggestions are dismissed, well, feelings of frustration and discouragement are common.

Recovery and wellness cannot be delivered or served to a youth; they must come from within. However, your role as an educator can have a profound impact on a youth struggling with a mental health challenge and their entire family. What if you tried something new, a different approach? What if you were intentional with your own actions and stopped waiting on the actions of the youth to change? The truth is you have more power than you realize, and your actions can positively impact the family’s mental health journey. Remember, when one member of a family is struggling with a mental health challenge, the entire family is struggling.

This workshop will have you look at how your actions can support understanding, and how you can meet the youth and their family where they are at in their mental health story. You will learn skills to take a strength-based approach, foster empowerment, and the power of validation.

Kirsten and Charlotte have been collaborating with school communities for the past six years, supporting teachers, guidance counsellors, and administrators to better understand mental health challenges in families. For more information and a list of schools we have worked with, please reach out to us .