Whoa! We have a bit of a surge of Hub supports coming your way. Borrowing from Ernest Hemingway, they’ve come “gradually, then suddenly”. The ‘gradual’ part is from seeking to understand the most relevant and timely gaps to fill for supporting child and youth mental health promotion efforts of the 20 projects funded through the Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund (MHP-IF) and others who share their interests. Some developmental work to fill these gaps has also been gradual. The ‘suddenly’ part is delivery of several Hub supports close in time. And that time is mostly within the next month, inspired in part by the phase 2 planning underway for the MHP-IF.
This blog itemizes what is coming soon. A list like this may seem a bit overwhelming. Something we learned very early on is that every group has different needs at different times. This is expected and is why we try our best to provide some guidance on when and how to use different Hub supports. For the MHP-IF funded projects currently planning for phase 2, the Hub’s upcoming supports are intended to support planning throughout the 4-year phase. Their short-term use may be to raise or reinforce awareness about project capacities needed for phase 2, without having to address everything at once or now.
The Hub’s upcoming supports fill three main gaps:
- Research and evaluation planning (with thanks to those attending the Hub’s June 16th webinar for helpful input on desired supports) (see items 1-6 in the list below)
- Understanding and mapping systems for mental health promotion (item 7)
- Practice guidance for child and youth mental health promotion from MHP-IF projects’ pandemic adaptations (item 8)
Below is a list of what to expect over the summer months. In addition to the list below, the Hub is posting new additions to the Resource section of our website under various categories. All the supports below will become available in Hub resources.
1. Select frameworks for situating project worldviews – a curation and annotation of resources for promoting (mental) health and health equity, especially for diverse populations
2. Choosing priority research and evaluation questions – support to guide projects in choosing questions that are relevant, answerable and aligned with the stage of project development
3. Choosing and measuring outcomes – a pool of desired outcomes within the field of MHP at multiple levels and guidance on choosing what to measure
4. Study designs with feasible comparisons – suggestions for study designs that focus on comparisons that are feasible in real-world dynamic projects and settings
5. Minimum tracking guidelines – a tool that offers minimum requirements for tracking project implementation and participant engagement
6. Applying an Indigenous lens – a resource to get practical about applying an Indigenous lens, posing the types of questions that need to be asked within project teams and with partners
7. Systems mapping for mental health promotion – a 20-minute video with suggestions to describe relevant systems and contextual factors likely to influence a project’s program of work and as part of a situational analysis within a theory of change
8. Practice guidance for mental health promotion: MHP-IF projects’ actions in response to the pandemic – a report sharing operational insights on MHP-IF project pandemic adaptations to promote learning and connections between projects and those with related interests