The Northern Public Schools Board of Trustees presented the Dragonfly Centre with a 2023 Friends of Lights Education Award at the Board’s meeting on Wednesday, January 17.
“As one of our mental health partners, Dragonfly provides an invaluable service to both our students and staff through presentations, professional development, and the services they provide in our communities,” said Board Chair Karen Packard. “We appreciate their support for our schools and their ongoing commitment to expand their programming and work with us to support students.”
Dragonfly Centre Counselling and Support Centre provides education programs for students in kindergarten to Grade 12 focusing on healthy friendships, healthy relationships, digital safety, sexual harassment, consent, boundaries, body awareness, and more. Last year alone Dragonfly facilitated 187 presentations to over 4,700 participants.
In addition to student presentations, Dragonfly also offers programs for caregivers and teachers. Caregiver programs focus on increasing knowledge of child sexual abuse, digital safety protective measures, and skills to create a protective environment for children. Teacher presentations focus on responding to disclosures, providing support for children and family members who experienced sexual violence, and indicators of child abuse.
Since 2015, when it first started offering programming to schools, Dragonfly has significantly expanded their programming. They initially started with three education programs, one for each age group. Now there are over 20 specialized and age-appropriate programs in in-person and digital formats.
“Community partnerships are integral to being able to improve student mental health and wellness and offer programming that enhances the curriculum,” said Packard. “We are grateful to have Dragonfly as a partner and pleased to be able to recognize their efforts with a Friends of Education Award.”
“DCSC is committed to continue working with our friends at NLPS to empower children, families, and educators with knowledge that supports prevention and response to sexual violence. We value relationships that give us a platform to create safe spaces for learning and conversation about an issue that impacts the health and wellness of our communities. We would like to thank NLPS for supporting educational programming that makes sexual violence a topic that students feel safe to talk about, and for creating school environments where children and youth are encouraged to make safe choices, form healthy relationships, and understand how to access help and support if needed.” – Mikaela Moulton, Executive Director
Dragonfly Centre is one of three recipients of a 2023 Friends of Education Award.