Tvoparents (audio)

TVOParents host Cheryl Jackson interviews Dr. Bruce Ferguson, director of the Hospital for Sick Children`s Community Health Systems Resource Group about kids`mental health.

Sarah Cannon of the Parents for Children's Mental Health and Catherine Fife of the Ontario Public School Boards' Association give closing remarks for the Summit on Children and Youth Mental Health.

Members of the Ontario Student Trustees' Association present their charter of rights focusing on mental health. OSTA members include Jaxson Khan, Alison Vicrobeck and Jenny Williams.

Senator Michael Kirby speaks about the next steps to influence integrated public policy that will bring positive and sustained change for children, youth and families with mental heatlh issues. After his talk, he takes questions from the audience.

The youth-led, elder mentored organization Elevated Grounds performs Stress-N. It's a dramatic production that explores how youth perceive and cope with mental disorders.

Award-winning broadcaster Valerie Pringle speaks about her family experience with mental health issues. She advocates to promote care and understanding for those with mental health issues. She takes audience questions.

Dr. Bruce Ferguson of the Hospital for Sick Children speaks about developing strategies to guide the ongoing work of the Coalition for Children and Youth Mental Health.

The Summit on Children and Youth Mental Health opens with greetings from organizers and the Minister of Children and Youth Services. This is followed by the Youth-Family Panel and a Q-and-A period exploring experiences with mental health issues.

Students at the Toronto District School Board's Joyce Public School shared their family's respective immigration story in digital comics or graphic novels. The project was part of a collaboration between Joyce PS and the Emergent Multiliteracies Project led by Heather Lotherington in York University's Faculty of Education. Joyce PS is an inner city school in a highly diverse neighbourhood. The children's families are originally from India, Eritrea, Greece and the former Yugoslavia. They use technology in the classroom like document cameras, MacBook laptops, Front Row systems and SMART Boards. One of the teachers at Joyce PS for this project was Andrew Schmitt, who a Premier's Award for Teaching in 2007-08.

Gavin Sheppard doesn't have a high school diploma, but he's been invited to Yale where he'll study and learn with some of the world's top thinkers. Why? Because he co-founded The Remix Project for young people who don't thrive in our school system. Gavin explains how the arts can engage kids and lead to success.

Schools need to do a better job of providing healthy food to students, according to Toronto District School Board trustee Michael Coteau. He tells us what he's doing about it.

Are classroom textbooks outdated? Toronto District School Board Trustee Michael Coteau thinks so. He wants the board to buy digital textbooks. He tells us why.

Ontario's first school for kids from low-income families will open this fall. The District School Board of Niagara is going ahead despite opposition from its community.

Cystic Fibrosis or CF is a genetic disorder that affects the lungs and digestive system. It's the most common, fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children. The Director of the Cystic Fibrosis Clinic at the Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids Hospital) and the Medical Director of the Pediatric Lung Transplant Program, Dr. Melinda Solomon, on living with Cystic Fibrosis.

Long before your kids are old enough to vote, you can get them interested in the process. Taylor Gunn, founder of Student Vote, gives parents advice on how to talk to kids about elections and engage them in democracy so they'll become voters.

Faye Mishna talks about bullying and cyber bullying.

Darcie Story Orth is a parent whose child was bullied and she tells her story.

Trey Anthony tells her personal story of being bullied.

John Hoffman talks about anti-bullying programs.

Tracy Vaillancourt discusses how bullying changes the victim's brain.