The Confederation’s mission is to promote the interests of Engineering students. At the beginning of each term, the member societies, the executive committee, and the members of the board of directors gather to choose the priorities for the year. Since the last few years, QCESO has gained some notoriety among key players in academic circles, through the participation of its leaders in congresses, symposia, conferences, and working committees.
A major concern that is present among our member associations and of the student body is that of mental health and student well-being. In 2016, a survey conducted by QCESO among its student members reveals a rather worrying situation: 76.4% of respondents said that the stress level related to their studies is high or very high. The study reveals that for 18.9% of respondents, stress results in an increase in the amount of alcohol consumed, a consumption of non-prescription medication or drugs for 7.4% of them, and suicidal thoughts due to stress for 6.9% of respondents. The CRÉIQ survey also shows that the vast majority of students do not solicit the services offered by universities and do not even know if their institution offers such services. Recognizing that early intervention remains the key to effective action with young adults, this low consultation rate is a significant challenge in reducing mental health problems and their negative effects on university campuses.
Improving the mental health of university students and reducing their stress levels related to education and personal challenges is critical to ensuring a quality academic experience. Indeed, this would not only lead to better learning, but would also better meet the expectations they may have towards universities. QCESO is convinced that the tools necessary to pursuing such an objective remain within the reach of Quebec's academic institutions, whether they are engineering schools or universities offering several programs of study.
As part of this project, QCESO produced documents analyzing universities’ best practices regarding the mental health of the student community, a portrait of practices related to good mental health in Quebec universities, and issued a list of recommendations on the implementation of such practices.
Consult the documents prepared by QCESO regarding mental health and student well-being