Youth Voices and Wellness: Two New Activities for Back-to-School

MHA Admin

Fri, 09/13/2024 – 08:47

Healthier Generation Champion Tara Stiles and Healthier Generation Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships Daniel Hatcher
by Daniel W. Hatcher, MPH, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships, Healthier Generation

Centering the voices, opinions, and needs of youth is an essential strategy to support the mental health and well-being of children. Educators play a critical role in building and sustaining these authentic youth-adult partnerships, especially with historically marginalized youth and those experiencing adversity.

Below, I’ve highlighted two activities from Healthier Generation and our partners that can be easily implemented in your school or organization to enhance student wellness and voice. Both activities can be led or co-led by youth and have minimal cost. Pick one to try and let me know how it goes! Drop me an email at daniel.hatcher@healthiergeneration.org or connect on LinkedIn.

Activity 1: Kindness Award Nomination Cards

What is it?

A free, printable set of cards created by Healthier Generation partners at Graves County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy/Prevention Youth Council in Kentucky. This activity was created by teens for their community in an impactful example of students leading positive change.

How to do it

Print and cut out kindness nomination cards to share at your school or organization to foster belonging and connectedness. Don’t forget to tag @mgcyouthcouncil, @healthiergeneration, and @MentalHealthAm on social!

Why I love it

Celebrating others through kindness nominations is a simple way for even the youngest children to share their voice. Plus, research shows that cultivating gratitude has positive health outcomes, including improving our sleep, strengthening our immune system, and boosting our mood.

Cost: minimal – the nomination cards can be printed in black/gray or screenshot the nomination cards and share them via social media!

Activity 2: Mindful Moments Playlist

What is it?

A free mindfulness and movement video series by Healthier Generation champion Tara Stiles of Strala Yoga.

How to do it

At your next gathering, pick a video from the playlist to do together as a group. My current favorite is Invite the Good Feelings In. After shimmying, swaying and relaxing, reflect on how breathing exercises can support resilience and bring peace to your day.

If you want to keep the good feelings going, explore the Healthier Generation Me Moments Hub: Breathe.

Why I love it

Nadine Burke-Harris says it best, “Scientifically demonstrated strategies, such as practicing mindfulness, meditating, experiencing nature, exercising regularly, and developing healthy relationships can improve outcomes for people who have experienced ACEs [adverse childhood experiences].”

Plus, teaching youth leaders and advocates to harness the power of their breath equips them to feel grounded during stressful situations, like public speaking!

Cost: free!

DID YOU KNOW?

The Capital City Emergency “Level II” Trauma & Wellness Center will house a “state of the art” Outreach Community Resource Center, that will provide case management, mental health community advocacy, and oversight from the M.I. Mother’s Keeper mental health advocates. 
 
The Capital City Emergency “Level II” Trauma & Wellness Center will offer patrons access to immediate coverage by general surgeons as well as coverage by the specialties of orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology and critical care.
 
Our goal is to help people in the best way possible in an effort to preserve and to save more lives in the Nation’s Capital and beyond.

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Emergency

Code Red
Gunshot Victim
Life Threatening Wounds
Physical Assault Victim
Severely Injured Auto Accident Victim
Burn Victim
Epilepsy/Seizures
Cardiovascular
Choking & Breathing Obstructions
and more…

trauma

Child Sex Assault Victim
Domestic Violence Victim
Drug Overdose
Rape/Sex Crime Victim
Suicide Watch
Trafficking Victim
Nervous Breakdown
and more…

Mental Health

At Capital City Emergency Trauma & Wellness Center patrons with mental health emergencies that include life threatening situations in which an individual is imminently threatening harm to self or others, severely disoriented or out of touch with reality, has a severe inability to function or is otherwise distraught and out of control, will have access to quality and psychiatric emergency services and referrals.

Physical Health

Whether your life threatening medical emergency involves excessive or uncontrollable bleeding, head injury. difficulty with breathing, severe pain, heart attack, vision impairments, stroke, physically collapsing, or seizure related, rest assured that our professionals will properly assess and evaluate the level of response that will be most needed to help provide stabilized care solutions and minimize complications as well as reduce early mortality.

Holistic Healthcare

We offer healthcare solutions that will support the whole person which includes their physical, psychological, emotional, social, & spiritual wellbeing. Research supports that because your mental state can affect your overall health we support and offer the inclusion of complimentary and alternative medicine(CAM) practitioners and naturopathic doctor recommendations and referrals as a part of our Outreach Community Resource Center’s care regimen and support.

Rehabilitative

Emergency care can typically result in traumatic injuries for which rehabilitation becomes an essential component of care in trying to achieve the best long-term outcomes for the patient. In addition to speeding up recovery times and helping to prevent further complications, rehabilitative care also helps to support a patient’s self-managed recovery once discharged from our facility. Our Outreach Community Resource Center works closely with our trauma center’s discharge department to assure that patrons requiring these services are linked with qualified professionals who will be accountable to the standard of care required to help the patron be successful in their recovery.

Social Services

Our “state of the art” Outreach Community Resource Center intends to promote “expansive” beneficial community enriching services, programs, case management, & linkage to “approved” partner resources and supports in all of the following intended areas and more:

Social Services

  • Clothing
  • Food Pantry
  • Housing/Shelter
  • I.D. Credentials
  • Senior Wellness Check
  • Toiletries
  • Transportation
  • Etc.

Extended Family Services

  • Child Care
  • Credit Counseling
  • Family Court Services
  • Legal Aide

Career Training

  • Apprenticeship programs
  • Computer/Graphics Training
  • Culinary Program  
  • GED Courses
  • Hospitality Training
  • Job Etiquette & Grooming
  • Resume’ Prep
  • Sales Training
  • Software/Technology workshops
  • Small Business Training

Return Citizen
Program Partner
(Bridging the Gap)

  • Case Management
  • Temporary Boarding/Housing
  • Transitional Program Registration

Prevention/Intervention Outreach,
Workshops, & Programs

  • After-school Behavioral Health Program
  • Civic Engagement / Volunteer Sign-up
  • Fatherhood Rites of Passage
  • Gun Violence Town Hall Forum
  • Life Coaching & Coping Strategies
  • Marriage Counseling Workshops
  • Medicare Informational Workshops
  • Mentorship Training
  • Parental Classes
  • Support Groups
  • Town Hall Discussions
  • Violence De-Escalation Training
  • Voter Registration

Nutritional Outreach

  • Cooking Demonstrations
  • Dietary Programs
  • Exercise Classes
  • Recipe Sharing Workshops
  • Meal Prep

Community Outreach

The Healthy DC & Me Leadership Coalition is partnering with the M.I. Mother’s Keeper Mental Health advocacy organization to provide outreach services on the community level as an aid in reducing the existent health inequities that many District citizens are facing as a direct result of the presence of debilitating social determinants and the lack of culturally appropriate care choices and realities for community members residing in marginalized and lower-income communities.

It is the vision and intentions of the M.I. Mother’s Keeper Mental Health Advocates organization to help improve the quality of living for citizens living in our Nation’s Capital and beyond by overseeing the delicate linkage to services and by maintaining higher standards of care accountability for deserving citizens of the Nation’s Capital.

For more information or to enroll as one of our service providers, please email us at:
info@healthydcandme.org