Successful Teen Mental Health Program To Enter Second Year, More Schools

By: Aug. 10, 2018
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Successful Teen Mental Health Program To Enter Second Year, More Schools School is starting, and with it often comes anxiety. Today's teens face incredible pressures - from peers and parents, teachers and employers. Social media often inflates the stressors. One local program continues to shift the focus to the positive, with teens driving the messages.

You Be You, the teen mental health campaign of Jewish Family Services, is making positive steps to change the stressful and often negative narrative. Now entering its second year, the You Be You campaign was developed by Jewish Family Services in partnership with the advertising firm Bernstein Rein, emphasizing mental wellness. Bernstein Rein donated its service to the initiative. The Speak Up Foundation, founded by three local families whose children died by suicide, is the strategic funder of the You Be You campaign, and is focusing their funding the program on new schools in 2018-19. JFS has brought in other funders to maintain the program in the 10 pilot schools.

Launched during the 2017-2018 school year as a pilot program, You Be You is a school-based, student-led initiative sharing positive messaging of self-worth and value. A diverse group of 10 middle and high schools throughout the metro area participated; more than 12,500 students were touched. Students utilized a variety of materials developed by Bernstein Rein and created additional tools to reach their peers with positive messages that you don't need to be perfect, just be yourself.

"It became so popular and people saw the need for it, so additional schools came to us wanting to implement the program," said Sarah Link Ferguson, Mental Health Coalition Coordinator who oversees the You Be You campaign. "The pilot has been so positive that 13 additional schools will participate in year two."

The You Be You effort will continue to use posters, stickers, installations and T-shirts to spread the message, in addition to some new elements, Ferguson said. Keeping connected with the students is also part of the plan.

"We will continually check in with the students and schools to see how things are going, if they need anything, what their ideas are and putting the plans into place," Ferguson said. "This year we are implementing a comprehensive social media plan that includes students from different schools being able to communicate with each other, share ideas, photos and videos.

In the spring of 2019, You Be You will host a summit at Bernstein Rein's offices with students from each high school. At the summit, students will meet the agency's staff who created the materials for You Be You. Students will also share what's going on at their schools and work on a joint project.

Another area for potential You Be You program growth is offering educational activities helping teens and parents to communicate more openly and comfortably about mental health issues.

As year two gets under way, Ferguson said the program's goal remains the same.

"It is ok to talk about mental health and help a peer," she said. "We want to make school a safe space for people and an accepting and tolerant place."

The new schools participating in You Be You include Lee's Summit, Lee's Summit West, Lee's Summit North, Olathe North, Olathe Northwest, Olathe South, Olathe West, Olathe East, Pioneer Trail Middle School, Shawnee Mission South, Shawnee Mission Northwest, Turner High School and Oxford Middle School. Schools continuing with the campaign for year two include Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, University Academy, Blue Springs High School, Blue Springs South High School, Valley View High School, Freshman Center High School, Paul Kinder Middle School, Moreland Ridge Middle School, Delta Woods Middle School and Brittany Hill Middle School.



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