Discussing Student Burnout in Montreal

By: Leia Ali

Montreal, que c’est beau. Oh, how I missed the morning rush of airport runs, but this time it was solo. I was preparing myself for my first ever business trip on behalf of the college which was sponsored by StudentCare. StudentCare is the leading collective insurance plan administrator for student health and dental care in Canada. Both my colleague Cat and I were granted the opportunity to travel to Montreal to attend a stakeholder meeting, where many other Canadian student unions were also invited. Within my new role as the SSU’s Vice President of International Affairs, I am required to advocate for students. Therefore, being a voice that is representative of Sheridan students as well as our student union meant a lot.

This was my first time flying to a different province and I was very ecstatic to experience the different culture there, along with the cuisine. We were in Montreal for a couple days and had the chance to network with other students, sometimes during dinners at the several restaurants we went to. Whilst engaging in conversations with these student leaders, it was interesting to learn about how unique every student union was, ranging from different roles and responsibilities to student unions being strictly led by students themselves.

From the conference itself, what I gathered and valued most was the various sessions prepared by their keynote speakers. The presentations addressed topics of “Managing Energy and Mitigating Burnout,” “Leading EDI in Higher Education,” and “Mental Health on Campus”—to name a few. The focus of the “Mental Health on Campus” presentation discussed challenges and advocating for change by getting student feedback on how we as students can make this a more common discussion topic, along with meeting the needs of and showing the resources offered for mental health. I think the engagement that each presentation brought to the table allowed us to really think about and analyze what issues we have at hand and what can be fixed. By attending these sessions and also seeing how other students came up with solutions, it helped me get ideas to put in place for students as well. Each lecture reviewed relevant topics students would find both useful and educational on discussions inclusive of our different communities. During the meeting, I highly enjoyed that we were given the opportunity to hear some issues that students face and understand the extent of how urgent and important they were. The issues that both domestic and international students face that are particularly interesting to me involve students not supported by staff and faculty; faculty not being reasonable closer to exams; mental health issues arising among students; students dealing with financial problems; parking tickets; being unable to afford housing so students sleep in their cars; and getting stressed out by finances but not having enough time to work. These stand out to me because while these are common issues, they are often pushed under the rug and not talked about enough—which is why I would like to investigate and discover more ways to fix these problems.

At the same time, having these authority figures come in and advise how the best solutions can be implemented will help put us in a prime position to go forward. The information gained from these sessions allowed me to have a different perspective on how we can approach certain matters going forward, which felt like an achievement to me. As much as I am the advocate for solving these matters and working towards them, I want to give students the chance to also voice what they’re thinking and the ways they think we might best be able to provide to them and make a more comfortable environment.

Overall, having the chance to connect with so many different student leaders gave me empowerment in my role to continue advocating for our students. This trip was also very memorable for me as I also had the opportunity to connect with my fellow SSU team member closely, and also explore Montreal. I hope I have the opportunity to visit again sometime soon. Jusqu'à ce qu'on se retrouve, Montréal. Until we meet again.

We believe that the best #SheridanLife is one where students have access to opportunities, experiences and tools that help them grow and serve their fellow students.

That’s why the Sheridan Student Union is committed to offering our student leaders career development opportunities and experiences that help them grow and serve the needs of our students. To read more about how your student leaders are working together to advocate for the best #SheridanLife, visit thessu.ca/sheridanlife