Collectively mobilizing around student mental health: a constantly evolving imperative

Student mental health (SMH) has become a major concern for higher education in Quebec—one that has elicited an unprecedented collective effort. Student associations, institutions, Quebec’s Ministry of Higher Education, the Observatory on Mental Health for Students in Higher Education (OSMÉES, Observatoire sur la santé mentale étudiante en enseignement supérieur), and the Initiative for Student Mental Health in Higher Education (ISMÉ, Initiative sur la santé mentale étudiante en enseignement supérieur) are dovetailing efforts to gain a better understanding of the deepening challenges linked to SMH and roll out effective action tailored to institutions’ needs.    

Student demands around mental health: a background   

The “Behind the Mask” campaign—spearheaded by the Quebec Student Union (QSU) in 2018—marked the beginning of increased collective SMH awareness, in addition to serving as the vanguard of large-scale mobilization around the issue. Thousands of students responded to the survey and the results painted a worrying picture of their mental health, often due to academic stress, social isolation, financial pressures, and performance. The QSU and the Quebec Federation of College Students (FECQ, Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec) authored two additional SMH surveys during the pandemic, both of which yielded results confirming the distressing situation revealed back in 2018.   

Student associations then used this data to buttress their demands for increased mental health support, putting pressure on the Ministry of Higher Education to draw up a more structured framework. The ministry began working towards this goal in 2019, and in 2020 held a wide-ranging consultation process. In 2021, the Action Plan for Student Mental Health in Higher Education (PASME, Plan d’action sur la santé mentale étudiante en enseignement supérieur) was launched to provide a coherent framework for equipping post-secondary networks with guidelines towards improving SMH. Also in PASME’s crosshairs: supporting the expansion and diversification of psychosocial health promotion, prevention and support services offered in colleges and universities. 

OSMÉES: knowledge in synergy    

Growing out of PASME and funded by the Quebec Research Fund (FRQ, Fonds de recherche du Québec), OSMÉES has been vested with a scientific mission to contribute to the advancement and mobilization of knowledge to promote and maintain a culture that supports student mental health in higher education. With 26 research focus areas and 275 members, the observatory addresses the various factors affecting mental health in post-secondary settings, making for an approach to SMH that is as holistic as it is interdisciplinary. OSMÉES’ research focus areas don’t merely overlap—they are active and essential co-participants in a synergistic exchange of knowledge. The observatory boasts more than fifty students on its active membership roster who, among other initiatives, take on co-leadership roles to steer the organization’s various focuses. OSMÉES leans into a “by and for” students approach, directly involving them in governance and across projects.   

From November 4 to 22, 2024, the observatory deployed a nationwide study on student mental health in higher education to 1) get a clearer picture of SMH and its evolution over time, 2) create sub-population profiles that reflect the diversity of student populations, and 3) assess needs around psychosocial counselling assistance, its access, and its use. Data collected from this research will be fundamental to gaining a better understanding of the current state of student mental health and guiding next steps in terms of future local and ministerial actions to support SMH.  

ISMÉ: driving SMH mobilization   

Also a product of PASME, ISMÉ has a mission to support SMH, as well as contribute to healthy, safe, and welcoming academic settings for students in higher education. It has been tasked with gathering, promoting, and sharing SMH expertise and knowledge, in addition to mobilizing the SMH ecosystem in Quebec.    

Across its mandates, the organization works for and alongside the post-secondary community, which includes students, student associations, professional staff, mental health staff, teaching staff, support and technical staff, and management, among others. ISMÉ’s mobilization strategy involves providing tools and initiatives that align with the guidelines laid out in PASME while responding to the SMH needs and expectations of the higher education community. ISMÉ taps into its collaborative network to contribute every step of the way.   

In March 2024, the organization launched the Student Mental Health Station (Station SME), a one-stop destination for SMH information and tools that apply to the post-secondary world. The site promotes trusted content and offers streamlined access to wide-ranging knowledge tailored to the needs of college and university communities. The Student Mental Health Station is geared towards deepening the SMH knowledge and expertise of students as much as staff.   

 READ MORE: Station santé mentale étudiante : un soutien pour le bien-être au Québec (in French)  

Joining forces to support student mental health   

These complementary bodies are powered by interlocking missions, which is why they have joined forces as well as networks in supporting student mental health. This synergy is the product of a collective effort to transform the SMH landscape and promote mental health as a shared imperative. This mobilization is promising, but there are hurdles on the road ahead, and students’ shifting realities—often characterized by academic stress, social isolation, financial insecurity, and other risk factors—underscore the need for constant and renewed engagement. The effort to provide every student a healthy, safe environment where adequate support is available must continue. By joining forces and keeping this collective movement in forward motion, every stakeholder in the higher education ecosystem can be a part of designing a future where SMH is valued and protected.   

This article is part of a series on student mental health in higher education supported by OSMÉES (Observatoire sur la santé mentale étudiante en enseignement supérieur) and ISMÉ (Initiative sur la santé mentale étudiante en enseignement supérieur).