North Hills: Home Apart, but Standing Together
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Tags: #onetribe, #wereinthistogether, #yourfeelingsarevalid, advisors, anti-stigma pledge, apart, check list, community, counselor, family, feelings, friend, help, high school, home, hope, Mental Health, North Hills, outside, pet therapy, phone, positivity, re:SOLVE, speak up, Stand Together, stay home, strength, together, unity
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Leave a Comment (0) →South Allegheny Middle School Gladiators are back again to dismantle stigma towards mental health and substance use disorders in their school.
It’s training day! New students as well as returning members filed into the library to take part in the two-day training. Early in the morning, students were quiet and shy, but after a round of ice-breakers, introductions, and some snacks, the students started to warm-up to each other. Returning members supported their peers with the knowledge they had retained from last year in review games. They definitely finished the first workshop strong!
The ideas about changing their school environment flowed in the ‘What I want my peers and staff to know…’ section. This group of youth really wanted the adults around them to partner as allies and provide a ‘shoulder to lean on’ if they were feeling down or in need of help. Reflecting on last year, they also want their peers to take mental health and stigma seriously. Stigma is so ingrained in our culture and it can be difficult to change, but these students are going to fight it!
The South Allegheny team plans on hosting a truth booth-with a twist! They’re one of our first middle schools to ever hold this kind of event! The Truth Booth project is a great way to anonymously share what one may be struggling with or even show support for someone you know that may be affected by a mental illness or substance use disorder. Their ‘What Color Are Your Feathers?’ event will allow both students and staff to select feathers of support to motivate their peers to ‘show their true colors’ and ‘lift one another up.’ The feathers will be color-coded and each color will represent a way to stop stigma, discuss a mental health diagnosis, or write-in a supportive message. Students will drop them in a box to be collected. Once the event is complete, the team will create a beautiful mural of all the feathers to be displayed in the middle school, along with a pledge banner to end stigma.
The Stand Together team will also bring back, ‘Send Stigma Spinning.’ In this activity, participants will spin a wheel to answer a question or decipher a myth from a fact. This will give their peers an opportunity to learn more about mental health and stigma-and a chance to win a prize! Check out that awesome pic above from last year.
The ideas continued and team members identified their own personal ways they were going to take down stigma. Many students decided to challenge themselves by paying more attention to the language they use, as well as sharing the information they had learned with their family and friends. Students also shared a specific contribution they are going to make to their projects over the rest of the school year based on their skills and talents. They were two full days, but they were full of stigma-stopping power-and that’s what gladiators are made of!
Way to go, South Allegheny MS! Keep up the good work-every year it gets even better! We can’t wait to see your projects in action. You’re going to make such an impact in your school!
Written by Montaja, trainer
Tags: change, education, help, ideas, impact, language, Mental Health, Mental Illness, middle school, mural, myth/fact, pledge, review, school culture, South Allegheny, spinning wheel, staff, Stigma, strength, students, substance use disorders, support, training, truth booth
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Leave a Comment (0) →Perry High has returned for their second year of Stand Together. Newcomers and returning students put their knowledge to the test. Although this group is small, their ideas to stop stigma in their school are grand!
Two days of training really solidified and unified the group. Students were tested on their mental health IQ and participated in team-building activities. Students also asked important questions about seeking help and really want to focus on getting the ‘real facts’ about mental and substance use disorders out to their peers. They want them to know that their voice matters! They also want to build stronger bonds with their teachers and staff; they believe this will help create a more accepting atmosphere and help their peers communicate their mental health needs.
Project planning was an exciting time! This year, the group plans on creating a photo booth to capture memories and build connections between their peers. Each photo booth will have a different theme and activity throughout the year. The plan is entice their peers and faculty/staff with fun props and games to promote awareness, encourage strangers to get to know someone knew, and to encourage more interaction between staff and students.
They also want to use the photo booth to educate their peers on the WHAPP signs and symptoms; youth should look out for withdrawal, hopelessness, agitation, personality change, and poor self-care; these could be an indicator that someone is emotionally struggling and needs help. The booths will also lace a 1:4 theme throughout to raise awareness about the impact and mental and substance use disorders.
The photos from these booths will be printed and displayed in the school’s ‘Hall of Fame’ with mental health facts and inspiring messages for all to see.
Great job with project planning! We can’t wait to see the connections you capture during your events!
Written by Montaja, trainer
Tags: 1:4, acceptance, awareness, connections, facts, ideas, impact, inspiration, Mental Illness, peers, photo booth, project planning, seeking help, social inclusion, staff-student, strength, substance use, team-building, theme, training, unity, WHAPP
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(The images above are African American males that have shared their experiences with mental health conditions: Kid Cudi, Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson, Wayne Brady, Jay-Z, and Brandon Marshall)
Tags: acceptance, African American, awareness, basketball, blog, celebrities, change, conversation, courage, depression, happy, hope, men's health, Mental Health, Mental Illness, parent, professional, recovery, resiliency, role models, speak out, Stigma, strength, support, talk about it, treatment, wellness
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Leave a Comment (0) →The common phrase we hear around the New Year is: New Year, New Year. I want to tell you that you are already enough! But there’s always things we can work on to better ourselves and achieve our goals. We don’t want a ‘new you;’ our goal is to give you some tips and tricks to incorporate into 2018. No matter if you set resolutions or just see it as another day, it’s important to remember that the small things matter, you’re not alone, and we’re in this together.
Should I say it again? YOU! Yes, you! Many of us struggle with self-confidence, high standards/expectations, and so much pressure. Sometimes it’s hard to think that there’s more to life than the hustle and bustle of everyday or the chasing the ideas of perfection. You are unique. There is no one else exactly like you in the world. You are human and you deserve love and happiness. And that starts with you. You’ve got this!
You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
– A. A. Milne
I know we preach and preach about self-care, but is it so incredibly important. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so the saying goes. As members of Stand Together, we ask you to be there and practice SHE: support, hold hope, and encourage each other. You can’t do that if you’re not well. Eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep, exercise, and do things you enjoy. Be kind to yourself. Take care of your mind, body, and spirit (aka holistic wellness). Take care of yourself and you’ll be able to share yourself with others.
We all need SHE in our lives. Friends and close family members are some of the most important tools for resiliency (the ability to bounce back after difficult experiences). You’re never alone and we’re in this together. Don’t be afraid to share your joy, your fears, your struggles with someone else. We have more in common than we do different.
This comic is me to a ‘T.’ So often I focus on the few negative things than all the great things. It’s so hard to do! We have to rewire our brains to make this happen-but it’s well worth it. At the same time, we need to appreciate the little things in life: a text from a friend, a sunrise/sunset, (for me) a nice cup of tea…the list goes on. Gratitude helps us stay centered and have a more positive outlook. Have you given thanks today?
You have the power to change things you do not like. You have the ability to set boundaries to protect your mental health. You have the chance to advocate for yourself and others. You can and will make a difference. We believe in you. Live in expectation; the best is yet to come. Happy, Healthy New Year!
Written by Danyelle, Project Coordinator
Tags: acceptance, advocacy, appreciation, blog, boundaries, bravery, change, difference, expectation, gratitude, happiness, health, hope, humanity, intelligence, let it be, love, new year, positivity, power, self-care, self-help, SHE, sleep, Stand Together, strength, support, wellness
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Leave a Comment (0) →Hey ya’ll! My name is Lacey Agresta and I am a project trainer with Stand Together. The end goal of my job is to break down stigma and educate our youth about mental health and substance use. I achieve this by going into classrooms all around Allegheny County and facilitate workshops.
In 2014, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Florida State University. I started my career as a case manager for children and families who were involved in the court system. After that I was employed by an elementary school, focusing on absenteeism within the student body. I realized then that my passion was working with youth. When I found my current position as a Recovery Specialist, I knew my move to Pittsburgh was for a reason; to spread the word about mental illness and hopefully help one person who is facing challenges in their own life.
What makes me such an expert on this subject? Well, I have suffered with mental health disorders my entire life. I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, anxiety, and ADHD in my early teens. When I’m not focusing on my recovery, I am extremely anti-social, tired, agitated, nervous, unable to focus on one task, not sleeping, and many more symptoms that caused impairment in my everyday life. These symptoms led me to abuse drugs to numb my pain, thus causing me to eventually become addicted. My recovery came slowly, but I didn’t give up on it like I had done so many times before throughout my youth. I surrounded myself with people that loved me and supported me throughout my journey. My parents helped as best as they could, but they weren’t experts on recovery and they didn’t understand the kind of support I needed; they also had mental health issues of their own. Luckily, I had other adults that were professionals in this field that stood by my side and never gave up on me, even when I would mess up. I listened to them and did what they told me to do, even if I didn’t want to. I knew that I could not do this on my own and I had to put my ego aside. Today I live a beautiful life and I never take one day for granted. If I could get through it and come out of the other side, anyone can.
I’m originally from Bradenton, Florida and just recently moved to Pittsburgh in April 2017. I currently live in Dormont with my boyfriend and our fur-babies, Armani and Biggie. Most of my time is spent outside exercising, exploring the town, or cuddling up on the couch with my pup!
“You were never created to live depressed, guilty, condemned, ashamed, or unworthy. You were created to be victorious.”
Tags: blog, conversation, education, hope, impact, Mental Illness, recovery, self-help, Service-Learning, staff, Stand Together, strength, substance use, success, trainer
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