Mental Health Awareness

​May Is Mental Health Awareness Month - What you should know

​1. A healthy mind and brain are important for overall health and well-being (mind-body connection) 2. Mental health affects how we think, feel, and act 3. Mental health impacts how we manage emotions and experiences Explain that we all have mental health and that sometimes our mental health, just like our physical health, is better, sometimes worse. We all have times when we feel sad, down, upset, anxious, or struggle to engage with our peers. These are all typical experiences. For middle schoolers, we want to recognize when the feelings we are having are something we can manage on our own or when we need to seek out help and support. Also, mental health challenges are not our fault but rather are the result of a complex mix of socio-structural, family, and genetics.

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Define these two words below

Advocacy

Adovocate

Advocacy is the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal (Merriam-Webster 2021). · Advocate is one who promotes or supports the cause of an interest or group (Merriam-Webster 2021).

Types of Advocacy · Self-Advocacy - Advocating on behalf of yourself (e.g., to a parent by telling them that you feel sad or worried and need support from them or a health care provider). ·

Individual Advocacy - Speaking up on behalf of one individual or small group or encouraging an individual to adopt a specific behavior. This form of advocacy is very specific to a person’s needs or behaviors. (e.g., seeking out help from a safe adult for a friend that is in a dangerous situation OR encouraging peers to adopt coping strategies that reduce feelings of anxiety).

· Systemic Advocacy - Working to change laws, policies, or community norms. This form of advocacy results in the largest form of change and will ultimately affect the greatest number of people (e.g., helping to pass a law that requires middle and high school students to have recess or breaks in the day for movement).

​On each slide tell what type of advocacy each scenerio is

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Telling a friend you are too tired to chat and going to bed early instead.

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Writing a letter to the school board explaining why it is important for school programs to support mental health.

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Doing an awareness campaign to promote healthy relationships.

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Asking a parent or trusted adult for help with a hard problem.

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Advocating for more community services to support youth mental health.

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Explaining to a teacher that your small group needs help and is asking for specific support.

​Characteristics of an Advocate Now that You understand the types of advocacy let’s discuss some characteristics of an advocate and tips for being a good advocate.

​Positive characteristics: ·

Listen to the needs of others ·

Do your homework to know the facts and counter-arguments

· Formulate your message based on valid and reliable information

·Be passionate (or believe in) the message you are advocating for

·Cooperate and collaborate with others to be most effective in making change happen

· Know the audience and design the message to meet the needs of the audience

· Be willing to “try again” if it doesn’t work the first time

· Get creative!

· Good communication skills

· Be respectful when you convey your message

​Characteristics to avoid when advocating

Being a “know it all”

· Calling people names or insulting them

· Expecting everything to change the first time you try to affect change

· Using false or misleading information

· Trying to “do it alone” - we all need the support of others

​SKILL CUES

I – Identify and research a relevant and meaningful health issue

C – Create a health-promoting position or relevant health message supported by facts and evidence that is geared to the audience

A – Act passionately and with conviction

R – Relay your health-promoting message to your audience

E – Examine the effectiveness of the advocacy effort