North Hills: Home Apart, but Standing Together
Posted in:
Leave a Comment (0) →Blog
Posts Tagged unity
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
Posted in:
Leave a Comment (0) →Middle school can be a challenging time, especially if someone has a mental and/or substance use disorder. Shaler Area Middle School wants to decrease the stigma associated with these conditions by increasing education and awareness and promoting social inclusion. This is the group’s second year in the program and it was great to see some familiar faces as well as meet new additions to the team.
Even though the students had already attended their first classes for the day, it took a little effort to wake them up. To get them moving, we kick-off with an exercise that not only gets the blood flowing, but teaches them something along the way. Students are directed to jump up and down 10 times while whispering their favorite colors. Obviously, participants at opposite ends of the room wouldn’t be able to hear each other, but just because the other student couldn’t hear it, didn’t mean that person didn’t have a favorite color. This is a lot like mental and substance use disorders-just because you can’t see them, doesn’t mean they’re not there.
Students learned not only about the definitions and prevalence of these conditions, but, more importantly, how they affect individuals outside the symptoms of the disorder. Students learned about the impact of stigma on their peers-and what they can do to help. W.H.A.P.P. was introduced to help students recognize the signs that someone may be struggling and students used S.H.E. in scenarios to think about how they would help a peer that was struggling by providing support, hope, and encouragement and reaching out to an adult they trust when they are worried about themselves or someone else. Students also got to know each other better and realized they had more in common than they thought, creating a sense of unity in the group and reaffirming their commitment to the program and each other.
After completing their first day of training, students were ready to start using the education and experiences to design projects to decrease stigma in their school. Students were excited to included food (because who doesn’t like getting free food) again this year and also expand on myths and facts. The group also wants their peers to be more aware that a lot of people struggle with these disorders and #itsokaytonotbeokay. They want to create a culture of acceptance and support where their peers feel welcome and know that they matter. The support of family and friends is so important in recovery and for wellness and the more we engage others, the more we create relationships that foster connection and trust. When these qualities exist, people feel comfortable talking about their experiences, sharing their feelings, and reaching out for help. And that’s what Stand Together is all about.
By the end of the day, I was really impressed with the groups innovative ideas and slogans and lofty goals for the year. Their passion will only help propel them forward as they continue planning and implement their projects. Hopscotch, paper chains, popsicles, and Kahoot! will all be used to entice their peers and further their anti-stigma message in a fun, but purposeful way. Personally I can’t wait for the weather to warm up so that we can ‘Freeze Away Stigma,’ but that’s just me…
These group is sure to change minds, hearts, and even lives by challenging myths and bringing their peers together to end stigma. We look forward to another year at SAMS and can’t wait to see your projects grow!
Written by Danyelle, coordinator
Tags: #itsokaytonotbeokay, #talkaboutit, acceptance, ask-an-adult, awareness, change, commitment, commonality, connection, definition, education, experience, Food 4 Thought, fun, ideas, invisible illness, Kahoot!, Mental Illness, mind/body connection, myths/facts, paper chains, prevalence, project planning, recovery, relationships, scenarios, Shaler Middle School, SHE, slogans, social inclusion, Stigma, substance use disorder, support, teamwork, togetherness, trust, unity, wellness, WHAPP
Posted in:
Leave a Comment (0) →Back at it again for the second time, Woodland Hills High School’s Stand Together team returns to shift the culture in their school when it comes to speaking up and out about mental health.
Woody High students came together on two days in January and both new-comers and returning students were ready to really make an impact in their school with the Stand Together message. This year, the group started meeting long before the training workshops took place to get a jump-start on the year. What dedication!
The first day of training re-introduced the students to the important signs and symptoms of mental and substances use disorders and refreshed their memories on what factors cause these emotional struggles. The Stand Together workshops strengthened the already strong bond this group had created during the pre-training meetings. Friendly competition arose when reviewing the information during trivia games and a unity formed while sharing their own experiences during and after Cross the Line.
The second workshop was more hands-on: project planning. Returning members shared feedback with their peers from last year’s activities. They had even handed out pencils with a survey link before the workshops to get more feedback from the larger student body. Team members shared what they want their peers and staff to know when it comes to reaching out for help and even just talking about the struggles they may be dealing with. They want their teachers to know the right information and resources to provide effective support when students come to them. They also want their peers to know that mental and substance use disorders are more common than we think and that it’s okay to get treatment. These students see the need and want to shift the culture and dismantle stigma.
The group brain-stormed elaborate new ideas and revisited ideas from last year with a twist. They really want to focus on providing clear information in a fun and engaging way. The group plans to hold a school assembly and mental health Kahoot! game tournament, as well as a possible ice cream social.
Staying true to Stand Together’s mission and goals, Woodland Hills is ready to rise up to the challenge again. We have no doubt that they will surprise us with their anti-stigma events this year. We can’t wait to see all your hard work in action!
Written by Montaja, trainer
Tags: 1:4, 5 signs, ask-an-adult, assembly, awareness, bond, brain-stroming, challenge, Cross the Line, culture, dedication, education, engagement, feedback, fun, goals, ice cream, impact, information, Kahoot!, Mental Illness, mission, project planning, resources, school, seeking help, speak out, speak up, staff/faculty, Stigma, students, substance use, training, treatment, unity, Woodland Hills, workshops
Posted in: Uncategorized
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
Posted in:
Leave a Comment (0) →Stand Together is excited to welcome two more new schools this year. From Pittsburgh’s very own Jewish Community in Squirrel Hill: Hillel Academy and Yeshiva girls’ schools! Due to a generous grant from the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and other supporters, we were able to expand to all five (!) schools in this community.
Both schools trained together at Hillel this past November, right before the holiday. Students filed into the training space quiet and curious, but that didn’t last very long! The students got warmed-up to the topics discussed and enjoyed competing in the trivia games that aided in review. It was a busy two days! Laughter, team-building, and deep discussion happened with ease. These young ladies ranged in age and grade levels from 7th through 12th grades. As each training day went on, they discovered fascinating things they had in common with one another, much deeper than their obvious connection with culture and religion.
Although the community is very tight knit, the students still had to get to know each other better as they attend different schools. The teams learned more about themselves, the Stand Together program, and their trainer, Montaja. As each topic of the day was discussed, students started to speak more openly about their personal thoughts about the stigma surrounding mental and substance use disorders. These young ladies weren’t afraid to ‘Speak up!’ and ‘Speak out!’ about how challenging it is to reach out for help even with adults they trust around them. Without hesitation, the students created a long list of things that they’d like their peers and staff to know about mental health and stigma. Some of the things they mentioned included:
-Mental illness is invisible.
-Having a mental and/or substance use disorder is not ‘wrong.’
-Therapy is okay for anyone and everyone.
By the second training workshop, both schools were ready to plan and design their projects. After viewing other schools’ ideas and discussing some challenges they may have to work around due to the size and culture of their school, both groups put together solid ideas to carry out their project and the Stand Together mission.
Hillel Academy girls’ team are working on a year-long theme that will ‘bar the stigma.’ They’re going to kick-off the year with a hot drink bar to ‘scorch the stigma…not your tongue!’ This clever project will host a table decorated with myths, facts, and other information to start the conversation about mental and substance use disorders and stigma. To incentive their peers and staff to enjoy a cozy cup of tea or cocoa during the cold winter months and start talking about mental health.
Yeshiva girls are planning on using the Stand Together acronyms as a way to start the conversation:
-W.H.A.P.P. (signs & symptoms: withdrawal, hopelessness, agitation, personality change, and poor self-care)
-S.T.I.G.M.A. (examples of stigma: stereotyping, teasing, inappropriate language, myths, and attitude)
-S.H.E. (how to help: support, hope, encourage)
Their event includes a drink stand to further educate their peers and staff, focusing on how mental and substance use disorders are invisible and effect everyone.
It’s clear to see both schools are off to a great start. They are more than excited to get the facts out to their student body. What a way to start your first year! Welcome to the club-we can’t wait to see your projects roll out!
Written by Montaja, trainer
Tags: challenges, community, culture, discussion, first year, Food 4 Thought, Hillel, ideas, Jewish, Jewish Healthcare Foundation, Mental Health, Mental Illness, mission, myths/facts, Pittsburgh, projects, religion, S.H.E., S.T.I.G.M.A., speak out, speak up, Stand Together, Stigma, substance use, team-building, unity, W.H.A.P.P., Yeshiva
Posted in:
Leave a Comment (0) →The sun shined though the huge glass windows in the Lounge at North Allegheny Intermediate High School in early November, welcoming students to their first training workshop. It’s NAI’s first year in the program (jumping on the bandwagon from NASH’s participation last year) and as the Fall leaves swirled around, signifying the change of the seasons, the students were eager to start changing the culture around mental health in their school.
Students shared a lot of laughs and had a lot of fun while learning and growing together. Students learned about mental and substance use disorders, stigma, and how to help their peers. They also got to know each other in fun games, such as Common Ground, that encourage them to build relationships with each other. Our teams act as ‘micro-cosms’ to their schools and the connections they make during the trainings will overflow onto their classmates as well, promoting social inclusion (one of our goals). The group left the first day with the education and experience to come back the following week to start planning projects to end stigma in their school.
Students were eager to share their ideas with the team and ‘dive right in’ the second training workshop. Students thought it was very important for their peers to know that many people (1:4!) are living with mental and/or substance use disorders and that they are not alone in their struggles. Another important focus was to share resources and encourage students to reach out to an adult they trust when they’re worried about themselves or someone else (another one of our goals).
We stress that students are not counselors and that weight is not theirs to bear, but there are things they can do to support a friend or family member, summed up in the acronym S.H.E.: provide support, hope, and encouragement. Youth can also continue to include students in daily activities, encourage their peers in their treatment and coping skills, and just be there for them. We don’t have to ‘fix’ things others are struggling with and it can be scary to sit in the silence, but sometimes, all someone needs is someone to sit with them in their struggle to remind them that they are not alone and that you are there for them.
The NAI team plans to implement a food and candy stand, host a 1:4 photo booth, and create a video to connect students to resources and adults to get help. Their slogan, ‘Tigers Talk about It!’ reminds their peers that #itsokaytonotbeokay and that #itsokaytogethelp. They want to normalize conversations about mental health in their school and help others on their journeys by uniting the student body in solidarity to end stigma.
We can’t wait to see your projects in action, stop by for some sweet treats, and learn about the changes you’ve made in your school with your passion and projects. Keep up the great work!
Written by Danyelle, coordinator
Tags: 1:4, be there, change, Common Ground, education, encouragement, experience, first year, Food 4 Thought, goals, high school, how to help, ideas, its okay to get help, its okay to not be okay, Mental Health, North Allegheny, passion, photo booth, reach out, school culture, SHE, social inclusion, solidarity, staff/faculty, Stigma, substance use disorders, unity, you are not alone
Posted in:
Leave a Comment (0) →Usually my first post for a school is just about how much fun we had and how impressed I was with their training, but North Hills has really jumped-in and hit the ground running. Before they even had their training, they had two events on the calendar! With a whole team of advisors and a slew of supporters (including the new principal that was previously at West Allegheny, another one of our schools), they’re already creating waves and setting the stage for their other projects.
On Friday the 13th, the student section roared as the team kicked-off – and not just the football team! The announcer shared information about the group and facts, tore-up huge posters with stigmatizing words, and encouraged each other to Stand Together Against Stigma. What an impactful visual!
With this exciting event under their belt, the team was ready to start their training workshops. Our TA, Jordan, is a NHHS alum and was so excited to be back at her alma mater-she even attended the game that past weekend (and was already impressed!). As with most of our teams (we start pretty early in the morning), they were quiet to start, but soon found their voice. The students got really competitive with WHAPP! and the How to Be Helpful to Peers buzzer games and were moved by Jordan’s recovery story. They learned a lot about each other from Cross the Line and there was definitely a feeling of unity from the group, even as we left the first day.
The second workshop kept the momentum going as students had already started working on one of their projects. I stopped by on the following Friday to stop by as they processed their ideas-for an event that would be held the day immediately after their second training! Student leaders had already started planning and the second day flew by as we finalized details on student presentations to their Freshman and Sophomore English classes. Groups created ice-breakers, a Kahoot!, and a Where Do You Stand? activity that challenged students perceptions about mental and substance use disorders. We talked about some other projects, but spent most of the day planning and rehearsing for the next day-when they’d stand up in from of small groups of their peers and Stand Together against stigma!
The students’ first project was a great success! Students participated in the activities and learned a lot. The teachers will also be using this information in their own classes to talk and write about mental health. The impact of Stand Together has already gone well beyond the group: first at the football game, the students during English classes, and the assistant principal and one of the school police officers even joined in the workshops. Students were eagers to attack the stigma in their school. I don’t know where they’re going from here, but I can’t wait to see what else they come up with for this year! See you soon!
-Written by Danyelle, Coordinator
Tags: alumni, anti-stigma, Cross the Line, English, football, high school, how-to, Jordan, Kahoot!, kick-off, Mental Illness, North Hills, peers, presentation, project planning, projects, Stand Together, substance use, success, training, unity, WHAPP, Where Do You Stand, workshops
Posted in:
Leave a Comment (0) →
Written by Montaja, trainer
Tags: 'the real tea', 1:4, acceptance, awareness, blog, CAPA, change, conversation, educate, high school, Mental Illness, pledge, Service-Learning, speak out, Stand Together, Stigma, substance use, talk about it, unity
Posted in:
Leave a Comment (0) →
Written by Danyelle, coordinator
Tags: acceptance, anxiety, awareness, blog, change, changing hearts, changing minds, conversation, educate, give-aways, hope, Linton MS, Mental Illness, middle school, motivational echoing, panic attack, passion, Penn Hills, project planning, Service-Learning, snacks, social inclusion, speak out, Stand Together, Stigma, substance use, support, talk about it, unity, workshop
Posted in:
Leave a Comment (0) →
Written by Danyelle, coordinator
Tags: 1:4, acceptance, awareness, blog, change, conversation, educate, games, high school, hope, impact, Mental Health, Mental Illness, passion, project planning, self-disclosure, Service-Learning, Shaler, social inclusion, speak out, Stand Together, Stigma, stories, talk about it, truth booth, unity, vulnerability, workshop
Posted in:
Leave a Comment (0) →