Promoting Children’s Mental Health Through Nature: Learn More about Manulife’s partnership with Université de Montréal
June 3, 2025
Toronto – Spending time in nature has been found to significantly improve mental health by reducing stress, enhancing mood, and increasing overall well-being. Large studies have linked living near green spaces to enhanced mental well-being. For example, a recent Danish study of over 900,000 children found that childhood proximity to green spaces reduced the risk of developing psychiatric disorders, independent of other factors like socioeconomic status and parental mental health.
Aligned with our Impact Agenda, and our commitment to empowering sustained health and well-being, we’ve partnered with Université de Montréal over the next three years in support of their Open-Sky school, which is a Quebec-based research study that looks at testing the effectiveness of a 12-week nature-based education program for well-being in fifth and sixth grade classes across Quebec. This partnership reaffirms our commitment to supporting the health of Canadians by investing in innovative, preventative health initiatives that go beyond traditional insurance.
"At Manulife, we’re committed to being more than an insurer—we’re a partner in building healthier communities. Through innovative programs like the Open-Sky School, we’re helping young minds thrive by connecting prevention, nature, and mental well-being," said Alexis Gerbeau, Head of Quebec, Manulife Canada.
In this study, led by Marie-Claude Geoffroy, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, at McGill University, and Sylvana Côté, Professor, School of Public Health-Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université de Montréal 54 fifth and sixth grade classes from 33 schools across Quebec were invited to participate in a randomized controlled trial between March and June 2023. 26 classes were randomly assigned to spend two hours per week for 12 weeks in nature, and 28 classes followed learning as usual.
Teachers and students in the intervention group had free access to nature-centric activities developed by the researchers to foster well-being and learning, including mindfulness, philosophy, art therapy, science, mathematics, and language arts. All these activities are available to the public in English and French.
Eight teachers from the intervention group who incorporated nature-centric activities into their classes observed that the students were calmer and motivated, had improved concentration and attentiveness, were more physically active, and were more respectful and cooperative. “Instead of going outside as little as possible, I now ask myself how I can adapt each of my activities to experience them outside with my students,” one teacher reported.
Speaking about the study, Marie-Claude and Sylvana said, “Our goal with the Open-Sky School is to utilize nature to enhance children’s mental health. By integrating activities geared toward mental health and pedagogy, we strive to promote accessible and effective practices that can easily be implemented in school settings to foster overall
mental health and well-being. Through this program, we aim to create healthier and happier experiences for students and teachers alike.”
The Open-Sky team recently released a documentary focused on exposure to nature at school, in collaboration with directors Caroline Martel and Nathanaël Corre. The film, which was released on May 29, 2025, chronicled meetings between the children and the researchers with whom they discussed the themes of mental health and ecology.
