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Resilient minds: Strategies to enhance student transitions from secondary to post-secondary education settings

Students transitioning from secondary to post-secondary education find the experience overwhelming. This article reports on the strategies developed and implemented to support first-year students’ transition to programs in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ontario Tech University. The strategies developed are targeted at the development and nurturing of skills to build and strengthen student resilience. Resilience theory recommends that a holistic approach to resilience is needed that includes both health promoting strategies and strategies to address symptoms of anxiety and stress once exhibited. The strategies reported in this article address the former approach and include a graphic novel, mandala art activity, a resilience handbook and workshop. Each of the strategies have been developed and implemented. Overall, preliminary results indicate the strategies are innovative, engaging, informative and deal with real-life experiences. The next steps include the development of an evaluation plan to further evaluate the strategies. Building on the work already completed, future plans also include the development of additional strategies in partnership with partners in the community and students. Utilizing a student-centric approach will provide the opportunity to further develop strategies for first-year post-secondary students, as well as secondary students who transition between secondary educational settings, including students from military families who are called to move more often than the general population.