In this issue:
Hope "Springs" Eternal!

It seems we may have rounded the corner from what has been a "challenging" winter! I'm sure we are all looking forward to the greener and brighter days ahead this Spring.

We have been so grateful for the opportunity to have worked with so many Massachusetts schools as they take important measures to bring effective mental health education to their students and school community.  By June 30, we will have provided over 200 presentations in more than 90 schools and community organizations, surpassing our goal by over 100%! The success of Minding Your Mind is largely due to the caliber of our speakers, and I am so pleased with the five young adults we currently have in our training program. We are so grateful for their courage, professionalism, and their commitment to share their stories of hope and recovery in order to help others. I look forward to introducing them to you soon!

The feedback from schools has been amazing. James Bouhuys, a guidance counselor from Salemwood School wrote: "I (and the entire staff and student body) could not be more pleased with the presentation that Drew gave today. The students were the single most attentive I've ever seen them for a presentation. We not only had students in tears, but also staff in tears. That helped us identify those who either suffer from mental health issues or know people that do. Thank you for setting this up for us and, most importantly, thank you, Drew, for sharing your story with our school. You've truly touched our students and staff."

Although we continue to book presentations in May and June, there is limited availability. We urge you to consider planning now for a Minding Your Mind program in the fall! September is Suicide Awareness Month and October 7 - 13 is Mental Illness Awareness Week, both ideal opportunities to use Minding Your Mind programs to raise awareness. If you are interested in scheduling one or more of our programs including the  Young Adult Speaker Program for students, Just Talk About It, QPR Suicide Prevention Training, or Introduction to Mindfulness  for staff and/or parents,  please go directly to our website to submit a  Book A Speaker  form.  

In the meantime, Minding Your Mind is excited to announce two upcoming events: a screening of the documentary film, " Angst ," at Newton South High School on May 17 (see the article for more information) and what will be Massachusetts' first A Celebration of Life event on September 20 th at the State Room in Boston! Given the success of the event in Philadelphia and New York City, it should prove to be a great evening!   Save the date!

Warm regards,

Jan

Jan Latorre-Stiller
Massachusetts Regional Director
781-285-6696
In the Spotlight
MYM Participates in Speak Week at Watertown High School

Speak Week is a week where speakers and activities take place in Watertown High School to help educate students about healthy decision-making, substance abuse, bullying, and suicide prevention. Dawn Graham from Wayside Multi-Service Center in Watertown, the organization that coordinates the many presentations, shared, "MYM ended up getting the highest satisfaction rating of all the sessions we offered this year. You clearly made an impact on our students!"  A sampling of the student feedback follows...

What did you like MOST about the session?
  • That we got to hear a real person's story.
  • What was talked about was organized and said in a very understandable way.
  • I liked that it was a real story and it showed that it can be about any person out there, no matter how normal they seem.
  • He made everyone know they can get help.
  • It was a new take on a topic that's always been passed over in school
  • What I liked most about this session was how he talked about the cycle that he went through with his anxiety and depression, because I related to what he was saying.
  • It was so good it should have been longer.

What was a KEY TAKEAWAY or learning from this session? 
  • That even though I may just see some kids at my school as trouble makers who don't care or do drugs, there might be something more going on.
  • It's important to speak out if you're struggling, you will find help.
  • A lot of people struggle, too.
  • Getting help isn't as scary as it seems.
  • I know that if I ever go through something, I can talk to someone.
  • That me being depressed and having anxiety will get better.
The comments reflect what our evidenced-based study shows to be true: students are more likely to express willingness to seek help after they participate in the MYM Speaker Program, and it improves students' attitudes about people with mental health issues, making Minding Your Mind's Speaker Program an effective stigma-reduction program, and one of the few in the country that has the data to prove it. To bring Minding Your Mind to your school or organization, click here.


MYM Presents the IndieFlix Documentary "ANGST: Raising Awareness Around Anxiety"

Minding Your Mind is pleased to present the first Greater Boston screening of "Angst: Raising Awareness Around Anxiety." Please join us on May 17, 2018 in the Seasholes Auditorium at  Newton South High School from 7:00pm - 8:30pm. Following the documentary, there will be a Q&A with MYM's Jon Mattleman, MS, and a MYM Young Adult Speaker. 

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health challenge in the U.S., impacting 54% of females and 46% of males, with age 7 being the median age of onset, according to the World Health Organization. In other words, about half of us are currently struggling with anxiety.

The beauty of this film is that the children and young adults featured are openly talking about their experiences with anxiety and other mental health challenges.  For some of them, it's the first time they are publicly sharing their stories. Our hope is that their candidness and bravery will inspire our community to do the same. 

 

World champion and mental health advocate, Michael Phelps said, "I welcomed the opportunity to be a part of 'Angst' . . . to help people understand the impact anxiety has on our mental state and encourage people, especially kids, to ask for help."

Learn more about this groundbreaking film and register to join us on May 17  HERE...

Save the Date


A Celebration of Life began in 2011 to honor the memory of Kyle Craig, a 21-year-old student at Vanderbilt University who took his life in May of 2010. Kyle was a dynamic friend to many; a bright, handsome, and gifted individual across music and athletics, but whose strength of character enabled his growing struggles to be hidden from view. The grief over his shocking loss has been transformed into action. Beginning in Nashville, and expanding to New York City, Philadelphia, and now Boston, this annual event has engaged more than 2,400 young professionals in the service of suicide prevention and mental health awareness, while providing providing funding for hundreds of Minding Your Mind programs. 

The Boston Planning Committee chose to hold the inaugural A Celebration of Life: Boston in September, in honor of Suicide Awareness Month. Please mark your calendar for Thursday, September 20, 2018, and join us at the State Room in Boston to enjoy musical entertainment, hors d'oeuvres, 4-hour top shelf open bar, raffle, and the opportunity to learn more about Minding Your Mind. 

T o learn more about how you can be involved in 
A Celebration of Life: Boston, including volunteer opportunities, donations, and sponsorships, please contact  Drew Bergman, director of development, at drew@mindingyourmind.org.


Where We Have Been

Our thanks to these schools and organizations that have invited us into their communities to further discussions about mental health.

Andover High School
Arlington High School
Ashland High School
Auburn Public Schools
Bedford High School
Belmont High School
The Berkshire School
Billerica Memorial High School
Boston College High School
Brookline High School
Brooks School
Burlington High School
Cambridge Public Schools
Cape Cod Regional Technical High
Coolidge Middle School
Concord-Carlisle High School
Curley High School
Danvers High School
Dover-Sherborn High School
Dracut High School
Fisher College
Franklin High School
Georgetown Middle/High School
Grafton High School
Groton Dunstable High School
Haverhill Public Schools
Hingham High School
John Glenn Middle School
The Landmark School
Lexington High School
Malden High School
Matignon High School
McCloskey Middle School
McGlynn High School
Medfield High School
Medway High School
 
Medway Middle School
Mendon Upton Regional Schools
Metro West YMCA
Miss Hall's School
Natick High School
The Newman School
Newton South High School
North Reading High School
O'Maley Middle School
Old Rochester Middle & High Schools
Parker Middle School
Pierce Middle School
The Pike School
Rising Tide Charter School
Salemwood School
Scituate High School
St. John Prep
St. Mark's School
St. Peter's School
Tenney Grammar School
Tewksbury Memorial High School
Thayer Academy
The Tremont School
Waldorf High School
Waltham High School
Wareham High School
Watertown High School
Wellesley High School
West Bridgewater Middle Senior School
Westwood High School
Wilbraham and Monson School
Winchester High School
Winthrop High School
Winthrop Middle School
Worcester Academy
Worcester Public Schools



Come See Us

Minding Your Mind Young Adult Speakers and facilitators will be presenting at the following conferences and professional development events. Please follow the links for more information on how to register and see one of our programs for yourself.

April 7, 2018 10:30am - 12:00noon
The annual convention of the Massachusetts PTA is the official business meeting of the state PTA.
Youth Mental Health Education Session: "Just Talk About It" with Jon Mattleman, MS  
Westborough, MA 01581

April 27, 2018 
Doubletree Hotel
5400 Computer Drive
Westborough, MA 01581

April 30 & May 1
Come and visit MYM's Table in the Exhibit Hall
Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis
35 Scudder Road
Hyannis, MA 

A new film created to open up the conversation about anxiety, and provide tools, resources & hope. Screening f ollowed by Q&A with Jon Mattleman and a MYM Young Adult Speaker.
Newton South High School, Seasholes Auditorium
140 Brandeis Road
Newton Centre, MA 02459

What People Are Saying


(L to R) Rose Cheyette and Lauren Gablinske from Samaritans Hope, MYM speaker Jon Burgwin, and MYM Massachusetts Regional Director Jan Latorre-Stiller

" Speaking with and educating youth about depression and suicide is so important, but hearing someone's lived experience is powerful beyond measure. Jon was able to pull the audience into his journey, his struggles, and his fear of admitting to his mental health struggles. He was so articulate when describing the feelings and emotions he grappled with most of his life, and was truly able to give the audience a view into the reality of living with depression and anxiety. I commend Jon and all the other Minding Your Mind speakers for being able to share their stories and sincerely hope they know how many lives they are affecting, changing, and saving through this important work."

Laren  Gablinske , Director of Education & Outreach at Samaritans Hope, Boston

Read more...

Partnership Profile

The Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc.

It takes a village to accomplish many things, including raising awareness and ending the stigma of mental health issues. Minding Your Mind seeks and welcomes collaborative relationships with organizations that complement our programs and share our mission.

The Middlesex Partnerships for Youth (MPY) . is a non-profit organization that provides training, fosters collaboration, and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. MPY is committed to bringing cutting edge information and high-quality trainings to their constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth. 

In mid-2017, MPY established a partnership with MYM based on the mutuality of our respective missions, our sterling reputation garnered from years of practice, and our comprehensive, highly-professional programming.  MPY has booked Minding Your Mind presentations at multiple schools in their catchment area, enabling schools the opportunity to open up the critical conversation about mental health issues. We are so very grateful to Margie Daniels and Camila Barrera at MPY for our fruitful partnership.  Thank you, MPY, for your commitment to the well-being of our youth!  
What You Can Do

Share Your Story to Inspire Others

The success that we have had in Massachusetts has brought us together with many young adults who have similar experiences to those shared by our speakers. We are always interested in getting to know individuals who have come through a mental health crisis, are in a positive recovery process, and would like to share their stories. If you are or know a college student or young professional who is interested in meaningful advocacy in the mental health field, please contact Jan Latorre-Stiller at 781.285.6696, or visit the Employment section of our website.

Contact Us

Jan Latorre-Stiller
Massachusetts Regional Director
(p)  781.285.6696
Karen Albert
Massachusetts Community Education & 
Outreach Manager
(p)  617.431.3240

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About Minding Your Mind
Minding Your Mind's primary objective is to provide mental health education to adolescents, teens and young adults, their parents, teachers, and school administrators. Our goal is to end the stigma and destructive behaviors often associated with mental health issues. The behaviors include, but are not limited to: self-harm, violence, substance abuse, eating disorders, unhealthy relationships, and suicidal ideation. Minding Your Mind's programs move away from crisis-based response to prevention through education. Our evidence-based programs are for students and the adults in their lives to learn ways to identify symptoms, assure them they aren't alone in their feelings, and provide language they can use to ask for help. Learn more at www.mindingyourmind.org.