They conducted a comprehensive community assessment that included:
- Surveys: Designed for Juvenile Hall youth and junior high students to identify gaps in mental health and education systems.
- Focus Groups: Engaging youth and stakeholders.
- Video Interviews (33): Featuring community members like students, parents, mental health professionals, teachers, principals, police, and local leaders.
Findings confirmed that the things our group suspected weren’t working, were also universally recognized by those we surveyed. The systems felt broken, but the people within them didn’t have to be. We found allies in these systems that helped navigate, demonstrating a willingness to be honest and compassionate. We were reminded about the problem with bureaucracy and implementing change. Seeing only slow changes and resistance to innovation, the youth came up with two 5 Point Platforms of change:
Mental Health
- Access to Care
- Ensure accessibility regardless of income level.
- Simplify resource and system navigation with better case management and proper follow-up.
- Provide eligibility for all resources, access to rights advocates, and support in finding the right fit.
Project Ideas: System Navigation Infographic, Therapy Vouchers, Mental Health Focused Support Groups, Volunteer Advocates for those Navigating Mental Health System, Clear Access to Rights Advocates
2. Destigmatization- Beyond the Wellness Center
Recognize that Mental Health affects us all and the more equipt and knowledgeable we are, the better the outcomes.
- Normalize mental health education and incorporate it into schoolwide curriculums.
- Broaden conversations about mental health to reduce stigma.
- Treat individuals seeking help as humans, not criminals.
- Medication Awareness
- Promote knowledge, awareness, and agency in medication decisions.
- Encourage holistic approaches, including nutrition and lifestyle changes.
- Support individuals throughout their medication journey, including GenSite testing for personalized care.
Project Ideas: Medication Awareness Nights for Parents and Teens, Medication Awareness Campaign
- Crisis Response
- Create a more humane crisis response process, including mobile crisis units.
- Include trained mental health professionals in police departments.
Project Ideas: Mental Health Worker Placed in the Police Department, AA Support Group Model for those in crisis, Law Enforcement Training
- Improved Psychiatric Hospitals
- Provide more effective services, including education, health classes, and weekend programs.
- Employ compassionate, well-trained staff with youth input in hiring practices and ongoing training.
- Ensure patient safety and consent, addressing concerns like supervision, mandated reporting, and inhumane practices (e.g., "Booty Juice").
Project Ideas: Youth Advisory Board for Hospitals (Lived Experience), Certification Program Incentive for Hospitals- Compassionate Hiring, Advisory Board, Health FOcus, Safety and Consent, Innovations, Booty Juice Campaign
Education
- Mental Health Support
- Offer mental health support for both students and teachers.
- Reduce class sizes or provide teacher aides to ease workloads.
- Incorporate mental health education into the curriculum.
- Foster honest, peer-to-peer conversations about mental health.
- ADHD Friendly Approaches and Curriculum
Project Ideas: Partner with Job Training Agency Intern Program for Teacher’s Aides
- Honesty in Communication
- Promote inclusive, honest conversations in the classroom about relationships, bullying, sexuality, and substance use.
- Train teachers to host these discussions, including anti-bias training for both staff and students.
- Integrate activities like Challenge Day early in the school year to foster inclusivity, critical thinking, compassion, and creativity.
- Youth Empowerment
- Ensure youth voices are included in decision-making processes.
- Engage youth in planning events like Challenge Day and facilitate teen-led talks and mental health curriculums.
- Support peer-to-peer training
- Provide On Site Internship Opportunities in Classrooms (relevant to a students field of study)
- Youth grant writing class to compensate for funding gaps.
- Improved Grading Systems
- Overhaul grading systems, homework, and workloads to emphasize quality over quantity.
- Replace standardized testing with more personalized assessments to reduce pressure.
- Foster opportunities for students to improve grades through collaboration with teachers and counselors.
- Prevention before Intervention Attidude- Early Detection
- More Academic Options
- Expand elective options to include more diverse and relevant subjects.
- Consider Weight of Electives, what ‘academic’ subject could they represent?
- Create opportunities for field-based internships and community class options.
- Encourage "big picture learning" to connect academics to real-world applications.
Looking back, we started this project because we were frustrated but the deeper reason was our own trauma with the system. This was a motivator to truly advocate for change. We started out so strong and gained support and confidence from funders and our community but had no idea of the challenges to come in the next phase of the project. What felt like a total chaos actually turned out to be the most important piece of the entire project.