RALEIGH, N.C.,
May 1,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The NC Alliance of YMCAs is
proud to announce its participation in Mental Health Awareness
Month throughout the month of May. This month is a crucial
opportunity to break down stigmas surrounding mental health,
promote understanding and provide resources to those in need. The
Y's Teen Mental Health Resource Hub housed online at
www.ymcateenmentalhealth.org is available to support teens (and
their families) who may be struggling with mental health.
"At the Y, we recognize that we all have mental health, and
mental health is an important part of our overall health and
social-emotional well-being," said Sheree
Thaxton Vodicka, CEO of the NC Alliance of YMCAs. "Mental
Health Awareness Month provides an opportunity for us to promote a
culture of understanding and acceptance, and to further our work to
support teens."
As part of this commitment, last week 25 YMCA staff participated
in Mental Health Community Care Training provided by YMCA of the
USA in Raleigh. Mental health community care is a
preventive model of care that equips and empowers individuals with
the ability to provide informal, community-based mental health
support.
Community-based support focuses on mental health promotion to
encourage and increase healthy behaviors, protective factors, and
resilience. This approach helps to reduce the risk and impact of
mental illness, provide early intervention, and support the process
of healing and recovery.
"Collaboration with licensed and credentialed mental health
providers is a critical part of the community care model, and
that's why North Carolina YMCAs are partnering with mental health
experts in their local communities to support teens and their
families," Vodicka said. "Through the Y's programs for teens, we
are creating supportive environments and relationships and teaching
life skills, as well as educating teens and families about mental
health, as part of the community care model. When our Y staff
identify a teen that may be struggling with their mental health, we
are able to refer them to a local expert who can help."
Through grant funding provided by the NC legislature, YMCAs
launched their work to support teen mental health in March.
Recognizing the importance of mental well-being, especially for
adolescents post-Covid, NC YMCAs are implementing a multi-faceted
approach. This includes the Teen Mental Health Resource Hub at
www.ymcateenmentalhealth.org, a teen mental health destigmatization
campaign, "Mental Health Has No Face;" new and expanded teen
programming at Ys across the state, and partnerships with local
mental health providers.
Twenty-five YMCA associations, with 120 branches and overnight
camps around the state, are engaging in this work, including:
- Alamance County Family YMCA
- Cleveland County Family YMCA
- Eastern Carolina YMCA
- Foundation YMCA of Wilson
- Gaston County Family YMCA
- Goldsboro Family YMCA
- Harrison Family YMCA
- Henderson Family YMCA
- J. Smith Young YMCA
- Randolph-Asheboro YMCA
- Rowan-Cabarrus YMCA
- Stanly County Family YMCA
- Tom A. Finch Community YMCA
- Williams YMCA of Avery
County
- YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly
- YMCA of Catawba Valley
- YMCA of Greater Charlotte
- YMCA of Greensboro
- YMCA of High Point
- YMCA of Northwest North
Carolina
- YMCA of South Hampton Road's three branches in Eastern North Carolina
- YMCA of the Sandhills
- YMCA of Southeastern NC
- YMCA of the Triangle
- YMCA of Western North
Carolina.
About the YMCA and the NC Alliance of YMCAs
The YMCA is a leading nonprofit that collectively serves more
than one million people statewide, including children, adults and
seniors, through youth development, healthy living and social
responsibility.
The North Carolina Alliance of YMCAs is an independent 501(C)3
nonprofit corporation supporting the 27 independent nonprofit YMCA
associations in the state. The Alliance's purpose is to build the
capacity of all the state's YMCAs, foster collaboration on
statewide initiatives through effective partnerships, and advocate
on behalf of the YMCA's mission and cause with elected officials
and stakeholders at the local, state, and national levels. For more
information, please visit ncymcas.org.
Contact: Michele McKinley
Michele.McKinley@ncymcas.org
919-508-7687
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SOURCE NC Alliance of YMCAs