Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research February 2024

STAY Tuned Podcast Episode 13 is Out!

Salsa Dancing, a Youth Advisory Board

and Peer Support for Mental Health

In STAY Tuned Episode 13, podcast host Emily talks with Josh Calarino, a member of our Youth Advisory Board, about ways getting involved in his community has helped his mental health. Josh shares his journey, from someone who struggled with their mental health in high school, to his discovery of different activities that helped him feel better and more connected to his community. His story of recovery started when he said “yes” to an invite to a salsa dance class. We talk about his participation in Youth Move, as a peer support specialist, and Josh’s experience as a member of our Youth Advisory Board. As part of the YAB, Josh joins other young adult members to provide valued feedback from the youth perspective to our research teams at Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research. Josh highlights the impact that a strong sense of community can have on young adults’ mental health.

"And I think that's what has surprised me and impacted my mental health is that oftentimes I always had these grandiose ideas of 'I gotta change the system of care,' 'I gotta tear it all down and build it back up again,' but sometimes just having a really solid conversation with a friend of yours can go a long, a long way." - Josh

View all of our podcasts, watch them on YouTube and read the transcripts HERE.

This podcast episode was developed by our new Center for Community Inclusion and Reflective Collaborative (The CIRC Center).

Learn more about The CIRC Center.

Adulting Shorts: The "TEA" on IEPs Comic Series is for high school students to help them understand what an Individualized Educational Plan or IEP is, what transition planning is, and the importance of the student being involved in them. 

View our full offering of Info-Comics here.

STAY Tuned Podcast Episode 12: Why Millennials and Gen Z Love Nostalgia & How it Impacts Mental Health. Also available as a Video Podcast!

Managing the paperwork that comes along with "Adulting" is not fun. Our Young Adult Advisory Board and Family Advisory Board set out to make that task a little easier. "My Must Have Papers - Managing the Paperwork of Adulting" Tip Sheet

NEW! We also have this information in a comic, Adulting Shorts: Passport to Adulting: Managing Your Paperwork.

February is Career and Technical Education Month. Our Advancing Employment for Secondary Learners with Disabilities through CTE Policy and Practice Research Brief discusses why CTE is important for young adults with disabilities, provides state examples, and offers policy and programmatic considerations.

Memes often convey a feeling that is hard to articulate with just words.

Check out the memes developed by the young adults in our National Youth Advisory Board (YAB). They get posted to our various social media platforms.