Together Towards Tomorrow
Join Our Virtual Conference on June 3!
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In just a few days, PPAL will be hosting our 11th annual conference! With the theme Together Towards Tomorrow, we will have 5 morning workshops and 5 afternoon workshops from which to choose. We are kicking off the day with our Keynote Speaker, Brynn Burger. Brynn is a best-selling author, a national speaker, and a coach for parents who are raising children with behavior diagnoses, mental health issues, and trauma histories, as she battles in the trenches alongside them. You won't want to miss her talk!
PPAL is also awarding community members for their contributions to children's mental health. Join us on Friday, June 3rd from 9:00am - 2:00pm to see the awards ceremony! Register today by visiting our website!
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Congratulations to PPAL's 2022 Award Winners
Join Us on June 3 for the Awards Ceremony
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Please join PPAL in celebrating our 2022 award winners! We are so grateful for their contribution to improving children’s mental health this year. Whether they are policy advocates, influencers, educators, parents, or youth, they are all fierce and powerful advocates for children with mental health needs. Our heartfelt thanks to each and every awardee!
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Children's Mental Health Week Raises Awareness & Lights Up the State
Thanks to All Who Participated!
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This year, we celebrated Children's Mental Health Week by highlighting all the hard work that families do to bring awareness to children's mental health. PPAL and the Department of Mental Health (DMH) secured a proclamation from Governor Baker and Lieutenant Governor Polito announcing that May 1-7, 2022 was Children's Mental Health Week.
We had locations across the state "Light Up Green" for Children's Mental Health Awareness, including Worcester's Polar Park for the first time. The Falls on Methuen's Spicket River was also lit up green, thanks to the inimitable efforts of parent and advocate Lynn Powers and her son Josh! Students and teachers at Boston Public Schools, Waltham Public Schools, Autism Sprinter and St. Stephen's Youth Programs, among others, wore green to promote awareness throughout their communities.
Additionally, PPAL partnered with The Federation for Children with Special Needs on a social media campaign highlighting the reasons youth, parents and professionals raise awareness about mental health.
Thank you to everyone who supported Children's Mental Health awareness throughout this month. We look forward to continuing the work with you all throughout the year.
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Youth MOVE Update
Art, Outreach, Advocacy & Fun
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Youth MOVE Massachusetts has been busy! We've run 5 "create your own art events" with Zia Access Young Adult Access Center. At these events, young adults came to create art related to the theme "Nurtured By Nature." We also welcomed a new Youth advocate, and tabled at the Peers at the Park event. Our Youth Advocates worked independently to create individual presentations on their topic of choice relating to mental health.
We also tabled at the Whole Kids 2022 event in Worcester. Over the summer, we will also be co-hosting a picnic at the park with Zia Young Adult Access Center. We went to a BAGLY Youth Pride event in Boston. We will be attending Express Yourself all together. We teamed up together to create toolkits to hand out to the community.
We had our monthly youth group where we watched Spiderman after checking in with everyone's mental health. Two youth advocates, along with PPAL, attended the City Council meeting to receive a proclamation from the Worcester mayor, Joseph Petty, recognizing Children’s Mental Health Week. We are continuing, as always, to update our Instagram and Facebook. We are also excited that one of our youth advocates was given a PPAL award for the excellent work that he has done.
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Watch Our Facebook Live for Tips, Tricks & More
Take Advantage of the Wisdom of Parents Who Have Been There
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PPAL's Facebook videos have reached more than 20,000 people since January 1! They are posted on PPAL's facebook page every Wednesday and cover a wide range of interesting topics from special education to stigma. The most popular topic in the 1st three months of 2022 was How Are Families Treated in the Mental Health System.
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PPAL's Question of the Month:
Visit Our Website to Answer the Latest Questions
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Every month, PPAL asks those raising a child or supporting a young adult with behavioral health needs, or working closely with someone who is, how things are going in a particular area.
This month, we asked, "What’s your family’s experience with stigma?"
Here’s what you had to say!
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In June, we want to know, "What acknowledgment helps in your parenting journey?”
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Parent/Professional Advocacy League
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