Fall is in the air, and we are excited to start a new school year with the OMM Network! The start of the school year offers teens, staff, and families the opportunity to get involved in something new and discover the resources available to them. What better way to do so than at a Back-to-School Night!🥳
Alongside other local organizations and school-based wellness teams, OMM staff frequently attend these events to share mental health resources, such as our “Help is Here” flyer and “How to Talk to Youth About Mental Health” tip sheet.
Back-to-School Night at Maya Angelou Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., featuring our self-care cards and mental health conversation tip sheet!
Additionally, fall resource fairs are the perfect time to spread the word about a school’s OMM club! Leading a small activity, like a poster prompt or filling out self-care cards, is a great way to catch people’s attention. (Handing out snacks and swag always helps, too!🍬) Club leaders may consider collaborating with other student-led clubs or ask students what kinds of mental health topics they want to learn about — This can help shape a club’s goals for the upcoming year! We recommend the “What matters to you?” bead activity (in our Club Portal), which welcomes people to choose a color-coded bead based on what mental health topics interest them the most. If students want to learn more, they can always fill out a club interest sheet and get connected to their club sponsor.🤗
Takoma Park Minds Matter in Maryland demonstrates our “What matters to you?” bead activity at their back-to-school night.
Lastly, some OMM clubs use back-to-school events as an opportunity to lead a signature campaign like Because You Matter. Because You Matter (BYM), one of Our Minds Matter’s signature campaigns, encourages students (and staff!) to write words of affirmation to themselves and others. Clubs can post the note cards on a school wall or bulletin board for as long as they like. These kind messages help create a welcoming school environment and remind students that they are not alone in their struggles. BYM also helps recognize September as Suicide Prevention Month, highlighting peer-to-peer connection as a protective factor against mental health crises. (See how D.C.’s Ida B. Wells Middle School put a spin on BYM!)
Team OMM wishes everyone a great start to fall and the start of a new school year! If you see an OMM staff member or club leader tabling at your school, feel free to say hello (and pick up some stickers or pins😉)! Need help brainstorming some recruitment ideas? Reach out to us at [email protected].
A special thank you for supporting Our Minds Matter goes to The J. Willard & Alice S. Marriott Foundation; Kettering Family Foundation; The MATTIE Fund; Rosendin Foundation; Van Metre Companies; and our supporter community of mental health champions like you.💙