BU CARES Research Priority Area

Well-Being and Mental Health

How can we support students to flourish? This research theme focuses on mental health and well-being.

  • Project Reset

    Supported by CARES member Mr. Matteo Di Muro, this project explores how digital technology is here to stay, and by working together we can support parents, educators, and community partners to manage media, prioritize meaningful use, model appropriate use, and monitor as needed.

  • Ed Admin Coping

    Led by Dr. Jacqueline Kirk & funded by BURC, this study explores how educational administrators are often a first point of contact for mental health crises. However, there are very few who are trained as counsellors, equipped with the skills to navigate the needs thrust upon them. This study explores how educational administrators are coping with increased mental health needs in schools.

  • Together with the Indigenous Peoples’ Centre at BU, we are looking at what belonging and identity mean to students at BU.

  • Celebrating the Inspiring Lives of Indigenous Educators

    The PENT program at Brandon University recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. This project uses semi-structured interviews to enable participants to tell their stories of their experiences in education. A unique feature of this project involves the connection of present PENT students to the participants. An elective research course was designed specifically for current PENT students, and as part of their course requirements, they became the interviewers in the project. Stories of the participants will be constructed in the publication and dissemination of the interviews of all the participants. As education faculties build on their capacity to include Indigenous perspectives within their curricula, the data from this research project will be used to address growth and improvements in the PENT Program at Brandon University. Most importantly, this project celebrates the accomplishments of PENT graduates. This study is led by Dr. Shelley Kokorudz.