New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray has announced the launch of a groundbreaking school mental health awareness campaign, “There’s Help All Around You.”
According to a release from the Mayor’s Office, the campaign, which targets students and parents, will appear in all New York City public schools. It was developed in partnership among ThriveNYC, The Jed Foundation (JED), the New York City Department of Education, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, and greyhealth group.
One in five young people will experience a mental health challenge each year, with issues like depression and anxiety acting as significant impediments to academic success for many students. Additionally, individuals ages 15-21 are significantly more likely to report their mental health as fair or poor than the two generations before them, according to the American Psychological Association’s annual Stress in America report.
“Young people between the ages of 15 and 21 are experiencing unprecedented levels of emotional distress due to bullying, academic pressures, family dysfunction and many other stressors,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray.
“We want students and parents in New York City to know that help is available. The partnership between ThriveNYC, The Jed Foundation (JED) and the City of New York will ensure that the 1.1 million children in New York City public schools have the information they need to connect to care.”
The “There’s Help All Around You” campaign, tailored for elementary, middle, and high school students, explains common mental health challenges and encourages help-seeking behavior among students in an age-appropriate way. The campaign will promote mental health understanding and dialogue, and decrease shame, prejudice, and uncertainty surrounding these challenges. The campaign will also point students and parents to available mental resources in schools and communities including guidance counselors, social workers, school mental health consultants, substance abuse prevention and intervention specialists, and community school mental health providers, the Mayor’s Office said.
“We are thrilled to partner with the City of New York on this pioneering campaign to help the largest school district in the country support the mental health of their students,” said John MacPhee, Executive Director/CEO of JED. “Today’s students can face a variety of challenges, which makes it essential they know that help is all around them, and how and where to find it. This campaign will empower more of NYC’s young people to speak up and seek the help they may need. Our hope is that the “There’s Help All Around You” campaign can serve as a model for other school districts to implement across the country.”
By focusing on the nation’s largest school district, the campaign will reach over 1.1 million students in over 1,800 New York City schools and will be available in multiple languages including Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, and Chinese.
“Supporting the mental health of the youngest New Yorkers is a priority for ThriveNYC,” said ThriveNYC Executive Director Alexis Confer. “We want students and parents to know about every available resource and we’re proud to partner with the Jed Foundation and others to achieve that goal.”
