As you all might know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month! It is our pleasure to share with you the work that Student Organizers have been doing on campus this month, including the kick-off events for our Mental Health Campaign. We hosted kick off events Cheif Sealth, Evergreen, Franklin, Rainier Beach, and Tyee. Each event that was hosted featured delicious food from a few local BIPOC-owned restaurants, fun games, and music, as well as a chance for students to speak up about what resources they need at school to better their mental wellness!
Student Organizers have been building momentum for the last two years, working with their peers, meeting and building relationships with decision-makers, all while trying to get closer to the root of the issue. At each school students on campus were asked to contribute to a community board of questions, which is one great way to get the feedback of the ones who are most impacted by these issues!
Student Organizers asked the Questions:
- What is something that impacts your mental health?
- What are solutions for more mental health + wellness programming/services?
Many students on campus are feeling a lack of support in their day-to-day lives on campus. Student Organizers have been able to learn about what students don’t have, versus what they need!
This and many other reasons are why FEEST Youth crafted their own campaign goals for what they want to see tangibly change on campus. We have been building momentum, speaking with several decision-makers around the mental health campaign, including school board representatives Aaron Garcia, Brandon Hersey, Carrie Howell, Liza Rankin, Chandra Hampson, and many more. We’ve hosted numerous mental health panels across school districts, both in 2022 and 2023 with the goal and purpose of learning from experts in the field, so students can come up with their own solutions. These discussions were foundational to building our campaign, and helped us narrow down and get specific about our campaign goals!
Mental Health Campaign Goals:
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Bigger Budget for Mental Health in Next Year’s School Budget
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Full-Time Therapists with similar lived experiences
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Culturally Affirming Social-Emotional Learning in all schools
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SEL and Crisis Support trainings for teachers
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Wellness rooms/centers in each school (We Won this in HSD!)
At the center of our campaign kick-off events is out students needs. FEEST would like to extend a warm thanks to each and every student, teacher and community member who has supported us in getting closer to our goals!
Check out some heartwarming photos from FEEST’s Mental Health Campaign kick-off:
Want to support FEEST Students in reaching their goals? Click on the button below to learn how you can take action and show up for Black & Brown Students!
Show FEEST some love!
Youth are in the lead at FEEST because we know that change is not effective unless those most impacted by health inequities are the decision makers. Support youth leadership by donating today, OR sign up for our newsletter to get the latest from FEEST!