The Avon Maitland District School Board is tackling mental health issues straight on.

The Student Support Leadership Initiative (SSLI) is a province-wide initiative focused on enhancing the relationship between schools and community.

Its goal is to support children and youth with mental health challenges.

Peggy Blair, Superintendent of Education for Learning Services.

She says one of the goals is simply to get people to acknowledge that mental health and mental illness exists.

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An important way of meeting this goal is by making available current and relevant information to parents, educators and service providers.

To this end, two regional Student Support Leadership Initiative groups, comprised of school and community partners, are working together to bring Mentalhealth4kids.ca to the local community.