Dr. Gina Cherkowski
Dr. Gina Cherkowski is an educator, researcher, award-winning social entrepreneur, and a national leader in school mental health, social and emotional learning (SEL), belonging, and educational well-being. She is the Executive Director of the Werklund Institute for Social and Emotional Intelligence Canada Ltd., where she leads national initiatives focused on strengthening mental health and well-being, SEL, relational intelligence creating healthy, thriving schools and systems.
Dr. Cherkowski’s work focuses on translating research into practice and creating the conditions that allow students, educators, and leaders to thrive. An International CASEL Fellow and two-time TEDx speaker, she has worked around the globe and across education, research, and community sectors to advance evidence-informed approaches to learning in a complex world.
Her current work explores the increasingly important intersection of AI, mental health, and human skills, with a focus on ensuring that as technology evolves, education continues to intentionally strengthen empathy, critical thinking, creativity, relationships, emotional intelligence, and the sense of belonging that make us uniquely human.
First Day Oct 28
Pre-Conference Wellbeing & Flourishing Symposium
1:00–2:00 PM | Keynote: The State of Youth Mental Health in Canada: Navigating an AI-Enabled World (Speaker: Michael Cooper, Mental Health Research Canada)
- Michael will explore the current state of youth mental health and well-being in Canada, sharing new research on how AI is impacting youth well-being.
2:00–2:10 PM | Break
2:10–3:00 PM | System-Wide Universal Mental Health in the Age of AI: Building Human Skills Through SEL (Speakers: Former Superintendent Deb Crawford & Christine Preece)
- Designed for school and system leaders, this session explores how universal mental health promotion through Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) can strengthen the human skills students need to thrive. Participants will discuss how a system-wide approach fosters belonging, empathy, resilience, and critical thinking.
3:00–3:10 PM | Break
3:10–4:00 PM | Leading Healthy Systems: Psychological Safety, Well-Being, and Belonging (Speaker: Dr. Gail Markin, Workplce Wellbeing Speciaist and Authout of Beyond Self-Care)
- Gail will shift the focus to the adults and systems supporting young people. She will explore how leaders can intentionally create safe, healthy workplaces where staff feel valued and connected, offering practical leadership practices to strengthen trust and relationally healthy school systems.
First Day Oct 28
WELCOME/ LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT/FIRESIDE CHAT
Topic: Charting the Course on AI & Humanity
Room: Rotunda
The Panellists: