GUEST SPEAKER: Jane Hanbuch is the Educational Consultant for MiUnderstanding. As an educator for more than 35 years, she has worked throughout the region in early years centres and schools. In addition, she has acted as a parent advocate for families in need of help navigating supports for mental health. In her spare time , she loves to play with her grandkids, take care of her bees and tend to her garden .

WHAT is the M.I.Understanding Organization and the M.I.Friends Program?

M.I.Understanding supplies a host of FREE resources to foster improved understanding of mental health challenges and related resources. Highlighted in this project, M.I. Understanding provides parents with communication tools to foster conversations about important mental health topics with their children. While M.I. Understanding is not a mental health organization, they offer parent resources to support children who are experiencing mental health issues. 

Specifically, M.I. Friends focuses on everyday situations where an increased awareness and understanding of children’s emotional needs will help parents use the tools provided in the kit to comfort, encourage and support their children to manage anxiety and other related mental health challenges. This project consists of a series of videos along with accompanying resources on a website channel dedicated specifically to childhood mental health. In addition, when your family signs up for M.I. Friends, your child receives their very own Poppy to help them access the strategies , and a bonus is that he is a pretty snuggly stuffy!

You will have the opportunity to ask questions during the Q&A and engage in some discussion with other participants.