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our minds matter

  • Empower folks to recognize their self-worth via affirmations 
  • Create a culture of self-love and acceptance 
  • Bring hope to folks who are struggling or doubting their significance in the world
  • Reduce stigma and increase help-seeking by providing easy access to mental health resource guides

  • Self-affirmations are a research-backed tool for improving self-esteem and overall mental well-being.
  • Reminding folks of their inherent “mattering” or worth is a great way to make mental health a priority

  • Entire school

  • Get approval from the Principal/Administration
  • Counselors or social workers to help promote
  • Engage other student clubs and organizations
    • Consider groups that may be able to reach different teens in your school and encourage them to participate in this campaign, such as sports teams, student government, theater, cultural or identity-based student groups, etc.

  • First- know that you can lead this campaign if you are an OMM student leader, a club sponsor looking to recruit folks, or just any student or staff member looking to shine some light on mental health in your school!
  • This campaign involves setting up a bulletin board and the Because You Matter cards and then encouraging everyone who comes by to grab a card, write themselves or someone else a note, and then add it to the wall! 
    • What should the note say? Anything uplifting, empowering, or loving toward oneself or others. 
  • To get started, determine the day the campaign will kick off and where you will display the printable cards in school.
  • Next, set aside time to make sure all the materials are set up. Some things to consider:
    • Is the bulletin board or wall highly visible to all students? 
    • Is it ready to have papers taped to or stapled to it?
    • Is there a desk or table to hold materials near the bulletin board or wall?
    • Did you print & cut out enough cards for at least the first day of the campaign?
    • Do you have pens and markers available so folks don’t have to dig through their bags?
    • Will you have someone staffing the table consistently to explain the purpose, or will you just have the brief instruction page/poster visible so folks know what to do?
    • Will the table be open all day, or only during lunches or another set time?
  • Once you have everything set up, you can start the campaign! It’s up to you to decide how long you’ll keep the table/wall “open” for participation, but we recommend at least one day or even one week. 
  • It’s also up to you how long the notes will stay up, but we suggest leaving the notes up for at least the full semester (you can leave them up all year if you’d like!)
    • Tip: keep an eye on what folks hang up just to make sure nothing inappropriate or harmful has been written.
  • Throughout the campaign, think about how you can include student leaders (whether that be OMM leaders, sports captains, SGA members, etc.) in different ways:
    • Can student leaders be the ones to promote the campaign in their classes, meetings/practices, or on the announcements?
    • Can you have student leaders take turns at the table where folks will fill out cards? Can they hang the cards up for folks and hand out any stickers, buttons, candy, or self-care bingo sheets?
    • Remember–mental health efforts are often more effective when teens are talking to and learning from other teens!
  • Want to take this campaign a step further? Here are a few ways you can do just that!
    • Leave some information about your school’s counseling services  & some national resources near the bulletin board/wall so that people who participate or view the campaign can learn how to seek help if they need it. Use this template to save time.
      • We added in some national resources, but don’t forget to input your school and local community resources before making copies! 

Leave these self-care bingo sheets on the table so folks can grab a few and make self-care and self-love a regular part of their routine.

  • A day or two before your Because You Matter wall/board goes live, start advertising it on the morning announcements, school news, social media, and any other methods your school uses to announce events. 
    • You can use the instructions page linked in the supplies section to learn some sample language.
  • Continue to make these announcements throughout the duration of your campaign so as many folks as possible have a chance to get engaged.
  • Making sure your wall or bulletin board is in a central location is also a promotion for the campaign in itself!
  • Give the campaign instructions page to the other student clubs you’re partnering with so they can encourage their members to participate, or even ask some well-liked teachers to read about it at the start of their classes. Having students and staff who can positively influence teens to participate is a great way to boost engagement!
  • Share about the campaign on social media using these graphics.
  • Lastly, be sure to have instructions explaining the campaign visible on the table or wall so anyone can participate at any time.
  • Are you also hoping to advertise your current or future OMM club? Use this template to promote your club and reach out to [email protected] if you need support.

  • How many folks hung up their cards? 100? 20? 10? 5? All of that is a success!
  • Were you able to share information about mental health resources available at your school? Huge success!
  • Did you get any new members/interest in your OMM club after folks participated? Also success!

  • Did you notice folks talking more about mental health or even just stopping to read the board?
  • What went well? What could have gone better?
  • For schools with an OMM club: 
    • Was this helpful for club recruitment? Why or why not?
  • For schools without an OMM club
    • Did this campaign generate interest in starting a mental-health-focused club? Why or why not? 
    • What is our next step for starting an OMM club?