Events across the country address the needs of children, youth, and young adults with mental health and substance use challenges and their families on this 10th Anniversary of the National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day.
Here in Washington, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is one of 20 state-level grantees for the Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education (AWARE) grant. The five-year nearly $10 million grant, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), builds OSPI’s and local partners’ capacity to:
- Increase awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth
- Provide training for school personnel, families, and community members to detect and respond to mental health issues in children and young adults
- Connect youth and families with services
Goals
The intent of Project AWARE is to develop a comprehensive, coordinated and integrated program to advance wellness and resilience in educational settings for school-aged youth.
Project goals:
- Improve overall school climate
- Promote positive mental health among youth and families
- Increase mental health literacy of school personnel and other adults
- Increase access to school and community-based mental health services
- Build the capacity and leadership to sustain community-based mental health promotion, prevention, early identification, and treatment services
By building on the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) model, Project AWARE increases access to school and community-based mental health supports. Collaboration between state, local, and building-level behavioral health promotion is a significant component of the project. A diverse State Management Team drives this effort.
Sign Up for a Youth Mental Health First Aid Training
Project AWARE offers no cost trainings that are in-person and open to parents, school staff, and other community members in Washington State. The all-day training teaches adults how to identify and respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse among youth.
Learn more about this training and Project Aware.