Our Minds Matter (OMM), founded in 2012, is the leading provider of peer-to-peer mental health programming for teens in the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia). What makes OMM clubs unique is their ability to create a multi-tiered system of support within schools—adding a vital layer of protection for students’ mental health, resilience, and overall well-being. 

In OMM clubs, teens actively build mental health skills across four key areas proven to enhance mental health and reduce suicide risk:

• Promoting social connectedness
• Increasing prosocial skills
• Practicing self-care and healthy habits
• Encouraging help-seeking

What began with just five schools in Fairfax County has grown into a nationwide network of hundreds of OMM clubs, with the majority still rooted in the DMV.

Now, OMM is excited to expand its impact even further through a new partnership with The Kim Foundation (TKF), a Nebraska-based nonprofit dedicated to increasing education and advocacy around mental health and suicide prevention. Guided by both local data and national best practices, The Kim Foundation serves as a trusted resource for communities across Nebraska, offering events, conferences, and programming to raise awareness and provide support. Their vision is bold and vital: a community free of suicide that embraces quality mental health services and prevention.

This partnership was sparked when The Kim Foundation reached out to OMM with interest in bringing OMM’s peer-to-peer programming into Omaha Public Schools following OMM’s presentation at the 2024 Advancing School Mental Health Conference. With aligned missions, both organizations saw the potential in working together to support youth mental health on a larger scale.

Through this collaboration, TKF will launch a pilot of OMM with Omaha Public Schools at two schools, supported by OMM’s training, resources, and technical assistance. 

This pilot marks an important step in exploring how OMM’s proven peer-to-peer programming can be adapted and scaled in new communities. Both organizations are committed to learning, assessing, and growing together to ensure the approach is both impactful and sustainable.

We are thrilled to partner with The Kim Foundation and look forward to the meaningful difference this collaboration will bring to teens, schools, and communities in Omaha.