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A channel that meets students where they are, empowering them to develop resilience & care for themselves and each other through creativity, imagination, wonder

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PROBLEM & SOLUTION

Challenge Statement:

The impact of COVID & isolation is worsening mental & emotional health
Resources to support wellbeing & creativity are not readily available, accessible or focused on
Arts being underfunded
Social media can intensify mental health challenges

OR Social Media could be a tool for sharing & creating resources ...

Solution Synopsis: “Creating Well Beings”

A channel that encourages art & creative submissions that foster mental & emotional health

Instagram - themed days of the week

Led & curated by students & creatives
Engage & co-create with the community
Encouraging connection/wonder/creativity

A channel that meets students where they are, and empowers them to develop resilience & care for each other and themselves through creativity, imagination, wonder

New From Sheri, post-meeting, 7/28: We are living in unprecedented times. Due to Corona Virus and the resulting life and world changes, nothing will (or should) go back to the way it was. Youth are experiencing PTSD, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation that can follow them thru life if it’s not urgently addressed. Our proposal has the potential to directly impact youth with little development time, given a few resources. As soon as our Channel launches, youth nationally can begin to benefit from creative outlets and be connected to and inspired by other youth, not matter how far away they live. Our Channel will benefit students of all ages whether they are learning remotely or in person and it can have immediate and direct impact on their learning in other subjects and can help them identify new areas of interest and passion which will guide them to further education and work in those areas.

Sheri’s former notes: (Challenge) “...instead of integrated learning and creative thinking skills” “Students are often unhappy and their mental health is negatively impacted partly because of this mass education approach. The pandemic and distance learning makes it even worse.” “...their passions...Teachers are stressed and exhausted trying to keep students interested and prepared for testing.” (Solution) “...To this end, students, youth leaders, and recent alums will participate in creating a place…” For stats that could be useful: https://www.nami.org/mhstats (

Allie notes on the challenge statement:: most of us know how essential mental & emotional health, and creativity and critical thinking are to the foundation of student’s growth & wellbeing. yet these areas aren’t often taught in a traditional school curriculum. Teachers care about these themes, yet they’re often burn out, short on time, and already handling too much to create new curriculum for teaching these tools. Or perhaps some are, yet they don’t have a way to easily share what works and the tools they have with others.

Allie notes on Solution synopsis: we’re creating a place to invite, collect and share free resources that fill in the learning gap at the intersection of mental & emotional health, and creative learning & critical thinking skills. Anyone in the education ecosystem can use these tools, and share those they find valuable. To get us started, we’ll put a call out to experts in emotional & mental health + creative learning fields asking them to offer resources they wished they had learned when they were a student, so we can offer interesting and relevant content

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New notes from Sheri (Tues., 7/28, PM) -- Experienced, Artistic adults and Youth as Guest Experts/Performers/Panelists/Moderators to inspire Youth audience and contributors. Youth leaders can come from or be recommended/referred by established youth-led organizations.

Sheri’s Past notes: Our Partnerships will include:

-- Next Gen youth leaders and supportive adults from HATCH Impact to shepherd it to other established youth organizations who are already involved

Youth leaders and adults from existing organizations, with knowledge, resources, and interest in moving forward together with short term development and long term maintenance

-- Financial partner(s) to cover costs of initial research, website, outreach, and eventual national promotion to schools, students, and families, ongoing website maintenance.

-- A heightened approach to well rounded education -- one that is easily accessible to all, including teachers and families -- is urgent. Enhanced education via creative approaches is a simultaneous benefit to all.

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Our barriers to implementation are around spreading the word - sharing our channel, gaining youth & creative followers, and engaging them to co-create together with us in a way that fosters well - being.

We also need to ensure we can sustain the effort - continuing posts, creating new and fresh resources, content, and exploring new sources of collaborators over time.

STICKING POINTS

Spreading the word about the channel; gaining youth & creative followers

Developing an inclusive space to engage the community in co-creating with us

Sharing ongoing content, exercises, IG Lives in a compelling way

Continuing to engage and post staying fresh, & reaching new and relevant audiences (like teachers)

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STUDENTS & TEACHERS → ENERGIZED EDUCATION

Happier, healthier students → Lifetime Learners
Happier, healthier teachers → Passionate Presence

GREATER COMMUNITY →

Parents/siblings of healthier students → Stable Families
Future employers of learners → Winning Workforce

BENEFACTOR TARGET

New From Sheri, post-meeting, 7/28: If we can achieve success in gaining followers and visibility, we would ideally see reductions in youth anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, suicide rates. In the long-term, healthier youth will grow into healthier adults and will affect their own families and co-workers in those positive directions.

Former notes from Sheri (some are still applicable with our new pitch and some less so): Students: a) improved mental health, knowledge of and access to resources and approaches for depression and anxiety now and later in their lives.

b) Future classes of younger students will receive the benefits, as well, as the site and resources grow.

2) Teachers: a) improved mental health, knowledge of and access to resources and approaches for depression and anxiety now and later in their lives

b) the benefit of having healthier students able to learn more effectively

4) Parents/families of students will appreciate healthier/happier youth and the way that their new attitudes and knowledge will spread throughout the family to younger siblings and adults.

5) The greater community: Idea-4 and Happy Employees-1

a) will benefit from decrease in youth acting out from their depression/anxiety

b) decreased risk of youth acting out in violent, self-destructive and other-destructive rage.

6) Future employers of healthier youth:

a) will see the benefits of their knowledge spread throughout the companies and affect others

b) healthier employees means fewer sick days and higher quality of work

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OUR TEAM

Allie Armitage

Sheri Mann Stewart

Valeria Gonzalez

Lander Bachert

Our

Team

Vetri Vel

Micah Christian