WELCOME BACK!

Welcome back to this Special Edition of The HUB: May is National Mental Health Awareness Month! We’ve unpacked the incredible Take Action for Mental Health Digital Toolkit into a week-by-week guide to help you easily incorporate the themes, messages, activities, and resources for your school, organization, and community.

Below are Week 3 and 4. Keep the momentum going this month and inspire others to take action - forward this newsletter to your school staff, mental health leaders, friends, colleagues, and family!
WEEK 3 / MAY 16 – 22: SUPPORTING YOURSELF AND OTHERS
Mental Health Month Emails

Finish strong! The Week 3 email is the last email in the Mental Health Month email campaign. The Week 3 email template focuses on checking in with ourselves and those around us - it can be found here.
Spread the Word on Your Social Media

Take a quick moment and share some mental health inspiration and support with your friends and followers using the Week 3 ready-to-go social media posts:
#GetSupport for your own mental health, or help someone else find help, by reaching out and connecting with resources available in your community! Visit takeaction4mh.com for helpful resources. #MentalHealthMattersMonth #TakeAction4MH
If you are in distress, need emotional support, or are worried about a loved one, help is available. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for free and confidential crisis counseling. #MentalHealthMattersMonth #TakeAction4MH
Mental Health Activities 

Put the MOVE in Mental Health Movement
Staying active can help center our bodies and is often a great way to release tension, calm excess energy, and help us to prepare for and accept change. 
 
Put the MOVE in Movement by doing any of the below:
 
Community Events

Tips and Tools on How to Support Your Loved One with a Mental Health Condition
NAMI OC is hosting a Knowledge Forum – Tips and Tools on How to Support Your Loved One with a Mental Health Condition – on May 19, 2022 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
 
Join NAMI OC and learn about:
 
  • Best practices for communicating and empathizing with, and understanding your loved one with a mental health condition
  • Ways you can find connection and peace with your loved one
  • Best practices for processing stressful situations
 
Register for the event here.
Resources 

Check-In Chats: Supporting the People You Care About
Checking in with the people in your life is a helpful way to take action for mental health. Many people want to support their family and friends but aren’t sure how to bring up the subject of mental health. The good news is that it isn’t as hard as you may think.
 
What is a Check-In Chat?
 
  • A conversation about how someone is feeling
  • A way to ask if someone needs some mental health support
  • A chance to show you care and are there for them
 
Why should you have a Check-In Chat?
 
  • You can make a difference in someone’s life
  • Connecting with someone makes them feel less isolated and supported
  • Starting a conversation can lead someone to open up about their situation and needs
  • You may be able to help someone find support or services when needed
 
Check out this resource full of great tips to have an effective and safe Check-In Chat with those around you.
 
Pocket Card: Self-Care Tips
Life can be stressful whether it’s work, school, family or friends, or other commitments. Stress can take its toll and we may forget to take care of ourselves. When we build self-care activities into life, we give our mind and body a break to recharge and lower the stress. Use this downloadable and printable pocket card to remind yourself of easy self-care boosts you can incorporate throughout your days.
WEEK 4 / MAY 23 – 29: KEEP IT GOING
Spread the Word on Social Media 

Check out these compelling images to post during Week 4, focusing on pledging to take action for mental health and self-care activities to support ourselves and others:
Help grow the movement to Take Action For Mental Health in California! Suggest us as a follow to friends and family, pledge to take action, and show your support for people experiencing a crisis this Mental Health Matters Month — and every month! #MakeThePledge #TakeAction4MH
Join the #MentalHealthMattersMonth Scavenger Hunt! Get outside and discover places and activities that can help you engage in #SelfCare or support others. Visit takeaction4mh.com for details. #TakeAction4MH
Mental Health Activities

Mental Health Scavenger Hunt
We all need to take a break sometimes. A Mental Health Scavenger Hunt may be the perfect break you need to help you refocus and bring yourself back to the present moment.
 
There are two ways to complete the Mental Health Scavenger Hunt:
 
  • Outdoor Scavenger Hunt: Go outside, get grounded, take a look around, and start moving.
  • Indoor Scavenger Hunt: Sometimes you can’t get outside, but you need a break to reset your mind. You can use the things you see and sense around you to help ground yourself.
 
Both options come with a detailed list of things to keep a lookout for while on your walk or in an inside environment. This is the perfect activity to do with your students on a sunny day or with your family at home! Learn more here.
Resources 

OC WarmLine
The OC WarmLine - 714-991-6412 - is a free and confidential telephone service providing emotional support and resources to Orange County residents and is available 24/7.
 
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Make sure to promote the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which provides free and confidential emotional support to people in a suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Contact 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text 741741.
Together, We Can Make a Difference
May is a special opportunity for us to focus on positive developments in mental health and well-being, from large community initiatives to small, individual steps. We all have a role to play in the creation of a healthier, more hopeful, and more resilient tomorrow.
We Want to Hear From You! Want to share an event that advances student mental health? Let The Hub help. Whether an event, training, webinar, grant, or a “Zoom” gathering, we can help spread the word! We encourage you to submit items for future issues.

Share The HUB! Please forward it on to educators, staff, administrators, parents, families and students in the school community, and community organizations serving youth and families. 
The HUB is brought to you by The Reilly Group as part of the OC Health Care Agency Community Networking Project, and humble editors: Gabriela Rodriguez, Colleen Reilly, and Lyric Winik. The HUB is specially designed to serve our community and connect you to the rich array of K-12 school-based mental health events, activities, services, resources, webinars, trainings, policy and funding opportunities, and more, happening here in OC and beyond. 
 Contact the Community Networking Project at gabriela@reillygroupinc.com.
Funded by OC Health Care Agency (OCHCA), Mental Health and Recovery Services, Prevention & Intervention, Mental Health Services Act/Prop. 63