As we approach the return to school, many experts are looking at how the mental health of youth has been affected by the pandemic. A recent survey conducted by LifeWorks found that 56 percent of respondents said there has been some negative impact on their children due to events of the past two years, such as the pandemic, with the greatest negative impact on mental health observed in the age group from 10 to 14 years.

Kendall Thomas-McEachern, Family and Community Program Supervisor at CFS Saskatoon, said their organization is witnessing an influx of anxiety in early childhood stages. Thomas-McEachern said: "I believe the pandemic really caused this overall state of burnout for many individuals, especially children. Burnout is basically when a series of life events happen much faster than we can process. Depending on the child's developmental stage, processing it may be more difficult."

On the other hand, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education will focus on the mental health of students and teachers during the coming school year, with a budget of $603,000 allocated to support initiatives promoting positive mental health and student safety.

The government will also continue to provide mental health first aid training to school divisions with the aim of training at least one staff member in each of the 27 school divisions in Saskatchewan. As of June 2022, 926 staff members have been trained, with 733 schools out of 736 having at least one person trained in mental health first aid.

Child psychiatrist Dr. Tamara Hines said that children today are more aware and knowledgeable about current events than any previous generation. Hines added: "I am not surprised that we are seeing more anxiety in that age group, whether related to the pandemic or climate change. If children are experiencing a lot of what we call 'anticipatory anxiety' related to returning to school, parents can help with simple solutions such as practicing the walk to school before school starts, even for younger children — hanging out in the schoolyard, and maybe playing on the playground a few times."