Children’s Mental Health Innovation Awards

JOAN STEINBERG
Global Head of Philanthropy

President, Morgan Stanley Foundation

00:01 - 00:22

Mental health is a real problem within our children and our teenagers. 1 in 5 will have a mental health disorder, and sadly, nearly two thirds of them won't get treatment.

The goals of the innovation program are simple. Seed fund these really innovative and interesting, impactful programs and really increase the entire capacity of the field in mental health.

ESSA ZIMMERMAN,

Founder & Executive Director, Upstream Education

00:28 - 00:43

We asked ourselves the question: How do we equip the first responders to student stress and anxiety with concrete tools? 

Upstream Education trains and equips educators in our program of bite-sized, Tier 1 mental health and social emotional learning tools.

VALERIE GRISON-ALSOP,

Founder & Executive Director, Give Us The Floor 

00:44 - 01:02

Give Us the Floor is a nonprofit organization and we help LGBTQIA+ youth in distress via online peer support. Most of the participants that come to the app don't have access to a support system.

DR. RAMONA FRIEDMAN,

Co-founder, Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health

01:04 - 01:12

I have seen the need for youth mental health grow over time. We just don't have enough access to those treatments that actually work for our teens.

LORI BUTTERWORTH,

Co-founder, Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health

01:13 - 01:26

Our focus on first generation teens starts with them. The Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health was founded to increase access to quality, evidence-based treatment for kids as quickly as possible.

DANIELLE DE LA FUENTE,

Founder & Executive Director, Amal Alliance

01:30 - 01:42

Amal Alliance helps provide displaced and vulnerable children with those social and emotional skills to build resilience, and ensures we're bringing mental health and well-being support to them.

LAUREN ANDERSON,

Founder & Executive Director, Our Minds Matter

01:44 - 01:58

Our Minds Matter clubs are teen-led. Our program centers on evidence-based protective factors that are proven to increase the mental well-being of teens and reduce their risk of suicide.

TESSA ZIMMERMAN, Upstream Education
02:00 - 02:19

When a name like Morgan Stanley says: “Hey World, we need to pay attention to children's mental health.” That sets a new precedent for the field.

This award not only provides us to scale, we're getting the thought partnership support to really be the best organization we can be.

JOAN STEINBERG

02:20 -  02:33

When you meet people who've dedicated their lives to this, it makes you want to work harder and do more.

We all need to rally together to try to find solutions to help young people solve their mental health problems.

WEBVTT

X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:0

00:00.625 --> 00:02.210

Displaced children face

00:02.210 --> 00:04.546

many mental health challenges.

00:04.546 --> 00:08.675

Trauma, loss, grief, anxiety and depression.

00:09.884 --> 00:12.637

Amal Alliance helps children heal

00:12.637 --> 00:13.596

and provides them

00:13.596 --> 00:14.973

with the skills and tools

00:14.973 --> 00:16.850

that they need to overcome

00:16.850 --> 00:18.184

all of life's challenges.

00:24.733 --> 00:26.317

Our program Colors of Kindness

00:26.317 --> 00:27.861

is a multi-award-winning

00:27.861 --> 00:30.321

social and emotional learning intervention.

00:31.114 --> 00:32.991

It brings together several modalities

00:32.991 --> 00:34.325

such as kids yoga,

00:34.325 --> 00:37.203

dance, art therapy and anything fun,

00:37.203 --> 00:39.164

teaching children the skills they need, 

00:39.164 --> 00:41.541

ranging from empathy to critical thinking

00:41.541 --> 00:43.752

 to self-awareness and self-regulation.

00:44.335 --> 00:46.337

We work predominantly with children

00:46.337 --> 00:49.466

ages 3 to 5 and 6 to 12 

00:49.466 --> 00:51.217

in many different contexts

00:51.217 --> 00:54.220

from shelters, camps, urban settings,

00:54.220 --> 00:56.264

but also in public schools.

00:56.890 --> 00:58.725

Since 2020, we have reached

00:58.725 --> 01:01.978

286,000 children in five countries,

01:01.978 --> 01:03.938

including Bangladesh, Uganda,

01:03.938 --> 01:05.899

Greece, Lebanon, Turkey

01:05.899 --> 01:08.109

and now we are moving into the US.

01:08.109 --> 01:10.236

bringing Colors of Kindness to a school

01:10.236 --> 01:12.447

within the Boston Public School system,

01:12.447 --> 01:14.240

and also creating two buses

01:14.240 --> 01:15.408

where Colors of Kindness

01:15.408 --> 01:17.077

will come directly to shelters

01:17.077 --> 01:19.746

in remote areas to provide opportunities

01:19.746 --> 01:21.289

for inclusive learning.

01:22.290 --> 01:23.833

This mobile learning aspect 

01:23.833 --> 01:25.293

ensures that communities

01:25.293 --> 01:26.461

that might be left behind

01:26.461 --> 01:28.379

because of geographic reasons,

01:28.379 --> 01:30.757

systemic reasons, are integrated

01:30.757 --> 01:33.635

into all aspects of services.

01:34.844 --> 01:37.097

By meeting them where they are at

01:37.097 --> 01:38.640

and providing an oasis

01:38.640 --> 01:41.142

for children to play and to learn,

01:41.142 --> 01:43.520

it changes the dynamic and ensures

01:43.520 --> 01:45.021

we're bringing mental health 

01:45.021 --> 01:47.190

and well-being support to them.

WEBVTT

X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:0

00:01.376 --> 00:03.044

The unique challenges for

00:03.044 --> 00:04.754

first generation youth

00:04.754 --> 00:07.590

remain today across cultural backgrounds,

00:07.590 --> 00:09.968

and they have unique and deep 

00:09.968 --> 00:11.344

mental health needs 

00:11.344 --> 00:13.096

that we need to address.

00:14.014 --> 00:15.098

How can we do something

00:15.098 --> 00:18.268

that will immediately, quickly address

00:18.268 --> 00:20.603

access barriers that youth are facing

00:20.603 --> 00:21.479

to get the mental health

00:21.479 --> 00:22.731

support that they need?

00:25.483 --> 00:27.068

The Center for Child and Adolescent

00:27.068 --> 00:27.736

Mental Health

00:27.736 --> 00:31.948

was founded to expand access to quality,

00:31.948 --> 00:33.366

evidence-based treatment

00:33.366 --> 00:35.827

for kids as quickly as possible.

00:37.996 --> 00:39.706

We focus on areas

00:39.706 --> 00:41.708

where there is a lack of access to care,

00:41.708 --> 00:43.209

which is the most prevalent

00:43.209 --> 00:45.712

in communities that have high populations

00:45.712 --> 00:47.172

of first generation kids.

00:47.172 --> 00:48.965

So that's where we start.

00:49.841 --> 00:52.510

Our treatment center really focuses in

00:52.510 --> 00:54.846

on training new therapists

00:54.846 --> 00:56.598

in evidence-based treatments.

00:56.598 --> 00:58.516

This way we can build access to 

00:58.516 --> 01:00.393

more therapies available to our youth.

01:02.020 --> 01:03.605

Part of our model is to have

01:03.605 --> 01:06.441

the teens themselves talking to peers.

01:06.816 --> 01:08.026

We have a teen advisory board,

01:08.026 --> 01:09.736

and they do peer-to-peer support,

01:09.736 --> 01:11.696

and they find out from the youth themselves

01:11.696 --> 01:14.574

what the barriers are and what they're facing.

01:14.574 --> 01:16.868

Our teen group at CCAMH 

01:16.868 --> 01:19.037

feel more comfortable talking about

01:19.037 --> 01:20.538

 their mental health to each other.

01:21.122 --> 01:22.290

And that's important

01:22.290 --> 01:24.793

because therapy is not always accessible

01:24.793 --> 01:26.920

to kids, but friends are.

01:28.088 --> 01:31.633

What CCAMH is endeavoring to accomplish

01:31.633 --> 01:33.093

is transformative.

01:33.093 --> 01:34.844

Working within communities

01:34.844 --> 01:37.263

with first generation youth and all youth

01:37.263 --> 01:39.682

training clinicians, training peer mentors,

01:39.682 --> 01:40.892

 community by community

01:40.892 --> 01:42.393

that could change the world.

WEBVTT

X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:0

00:00.633 --> 00:01.768

Throughout my youth,

00:01.768 --> 00:03.303

I was struggling a lot

00:03.303 --> 00:04.871

with different mental health issues

00:04.871 --> 00:07.073

and also with my own sexuality.

00:07.073 --> 00:08.975

And through Give Us The Floor,

00:08.975 --> 00:10.643

I was able to find a community

00:10.643 --> 00:12.012

that was like me

00:12.012 --> 00:13.880

and that I felt very comfortable with.

00:15.015 --> 00:18.118

Give Us The Floor is a nonprofit organization 

00:18.118 --> 00:21.821

and we help LGBTQIA+ youth

00:21.821 --> 00:25.658

in distress via online peer support.

00:25.658 --> 00:28.261

The main program are the supportive group chats.

00:28.261 --> 00:31.398

There are groups of young people, 

00:31.398 --> 00:34.567

12 to 15 of them, and one of them is

00:34.567 --> 00:38.304

trained to be a facilitator.

00:38.304 --> 00:40.407

When young people are in trouble,

00:40.407 --> 00:42.509

it's very hard for them to go

00:42.509 --> 00:44.010

share with an adult.

00:44.010 --> 00:48.048

They feel at ease to go share with peers.

00:48.048 --> 00:52.252

The anonymous component is key.

00:52.252 --> 00:54.254

They're supported by a team

00:54.254 --> 00:57.524

of adult advisors who have extensive clinical

00:57.524 --> 00:59.092

mental health experience.

01:01.094 --> 01:03.763

Give Us The Floor is a way for youth

01:03.763 --> 01:06.232

to find each other, to support each other

01:06.232 --> 01:07.600

and to feel welcome,

01:07.600 --> 01:09.269

and also have these abilities

01:09.269 --> 01:10.804

to become a facilitator.

01:11.704 --> 01:13.807

We have supported young people

01:13.807 --> 01:15.375

all over the US.

01:15.375 --> 01:17.811

After only one month in the program, 

01:17.811 --> 01:21.781

76% said they feel better about themselves.

01:21.781 --> 01:24.284

85% feel less lonely,

01:24.284 --> 01:25.852

so that really proves

01:25.852 --> 01:28.721

that the model really works.

01:28.721 --> 01:29.622

When you're struggling,

01:29.622 --> 01:31.324

it's really easy to feel like

01:31.324 --> 01:33.593

you need to be isolated and to think:

01:33.593 --> 01:35.195

“I'm the only one going through this,

01:35.195 --> 01:36.830

nobody else can understand,

01:36.830 --> 01:38.731

nothing I do will ever help.”

01:38.731 --> 01:41.167

But being able to open up to other people

01:41.167 --> 01:43.103

and just have that supportive group

01:43.103 --> 01:45.672

had made a huge difference for me in my life.

WEBVTT

X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:0

00:01.376 --> 00:03.044

Suicide is the second leading

00:03.044 --> 00:05.964

cause of death for teens in the US,

00:05.964 --> 00:07.424

and it's a problem

00:07.424 --> 00:09.843

that's grown in recent years.

00:10.468 --> 00:13.346

What our work focuses on is

00:13.346 --> 00:15.223

upstream prevention

00:15.223 --> 00:18.560

and support for teens earlier to reduce

00:18.560 --> 00:21.187

the incidence of crises.

00:22.272 --> 00:25.608

I lost my brother Josh to suicide.

00:25.608 --> 00:28.611

He was 17 and a junior in high school.

00:29.320 --> 00:32.073

We created Our Minds Matter,

00:32.073 --> 00:35.410

a research-driven teen-led movement

00:35.410 --> 00:37.078

to change culture around

00:37.078 --> 00:39.039

mental health in schools

00:39.039 --> 00:41.875

and community settings where teens are.

00:42.584 --> 00:44.377

Our Minds Matter clubs 

00:44.377 --> 00:47.005

are equipped with the tools

00:47.005 --> 00:49.549

and the template to facilitate 

00:49.549 --> 00:50.925

activities with their peers,

00:50.925 --> 00:54.554

which has such a bigger impact on them.

00:55.263 --> 00:57.974

Twice a month, our program coordinators

00:57.974 --> 01:01.603

lead activities for teens that build

01:01.603 --> 01:04.439

social connection, help-seeking skills, 

01:04.439 --> 01:08.318

pro-social skills and positive coping skills.

01:09.360 --> 01:11.029

The community-based program 

01:11.029 --> 01:13.281

allows us to reach students

01:13.281 --> 01:14.449

that we might not be able

01:14.449 --> 01:16.576

to reach in the school program.

01:17.243 --> 01:19.412

The teens that are participating

01:19.412 --> 01:22.082

are more underserved and at risk.

01:22.832 --> 01:24.584

We would initially come in  

01:24.584 --> 01:26.127

and provide service,

01:26.127 --> 01:28.505

 training teen center staff,

01:28.505 --> 01:29.756

ultimately having them

01:29.756 --> 01:31.466

take over the program

01:31.466 --> 01:33.510

and continue the program going forward.

01:33.510 --> 01:36.471

After this first year of implementation,

01:36.471 --> 01:37.639

we're analyzing

01:37.639 --> 01:39.891

the successes and lessons learned,

01:39.891 --> 01:40.767

 coming up with how

01:40.767 --> 01:42.519

we can really take this model

01:42.519 --> 01:45.313

and bring it to other communities.

LUELLA PROVENZA - CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER

00:01 - 00:19

Oftentimes we just expect coaches to be able to show up and engage kids.

It's really important that coaches are trained in the foundations of youth development and to recognize signs and symptoms of mental health challenges, because oftentimes we don’t realize how impactful a coach can be in a child’s life.

00:22 - 01:01

At Up2Us Sports, we engage and train youth sports coaches in order to support kids where they are, to build those critical life skills that help them off of the field.

We tend to work inside communities that are facing systemic inequities. Some of the kids that we work with are dealing with food insecurity, things going on in their families, so chronic stress can come in a variety of forms.

We recruit young people between the ages of 18 to 24 years old and we take their passion for sports and hopefully turn it into a career. Annually, Up2Us Sports trains about 300 to 400 coaches, and they engage roughly about 20,000 youth.

01:04 - 01:35

We are about to launch a series of interactive videos as well as a coaching app about the foundational skills of youth development and so I like to think about this as Up2Us Sports on the go. If you are coaching anywhere in the country we can get you tangible tricks and tips that you can start using to build the social-emotional skills of youth that you're serving.

We’re developing that competency and confidence for kids to go out into the real world and know that “I can do this, because my coach believes in me.”