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New Grantees Promote Youth Mental Wellness

In 2002, the Iris Alliance Fund began a partnership project called the South Bay Leadership Council for a Healthy Community to address issues of depression and tobacco use among multicultural communities in Alameda and Santa Clara Counties. This project is broad in scope, one that not only educates community leaders about both depression and tobacco use, but one that also addresses common root issues of youth self-esteem and overall wellness, and how a community can work to promote prevention and provide more support to its youth.

The South Bay Leadership Council for a Healthy Community is now 47 members strong, representing local businesses, school boards, city councils, and community health and social services. The Iris Alliance Fund partners with members of the South Bay Leadership Council through a small grants program focusing on culturally sensitive programs to prevent youth suicide and depression, as well as smoking and other high-risk behaviors by promoting youth mental wellness. Members of the National Leadership Council’s Steering Committee served on the review board and selected 9 agencies to receive grants. They include:

ACT FOR MENTAL HEALTH, INC.
Children in the Middle is a program that will deal specifically with the effects of divorce and family separation, working with both parents and children.

AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION OF SANTA CLARA-SAN BENITO COUNTIES - CLASP
Counseling Leadership Against Smoking Pressures aims to target children and adolescents who are at risk for tobacco use and provide supportive mentoring to help them resist negative peer pressure.

CRISIS SUPPORT SERVICES OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
The “Teens for Life” Suicide Prevention and Education Program is an interactive education program designed to prevent suicide in young people by providing them with the knowledge and tools to be able to ask for help when feeling depressed or hopeless. Children who are able to openly share their feelings of depression and thoughts of suicide are often able to obtain help.

FAMILY EMERGENCY SHELTER COALITION
FESCO will address the specific mental health needs of youth in homeless families and their parents through therapeutic support groups and supplemental family counseling.

FREMONT FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER City of Fremont, Youth and Family Services
Health Choices will address the mental health needs of high school and junior high school youth at three schools in Fremont by providing individual and group counseling for students.

GIRLS INC.
Girls Inc.’s HEART Peer Education program will serve a diverse group of young women, ages 14-19, by expanding and improving access to important teen health and sexuality information. The program proposes to address the real-life problems girls face during their adolescence, including issues such as depression, stress, suicidal ideations, safety and violence.

HAYWARD POLICE DEPARTMENT, YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICE BUREAU
One program will work with girls aged 9-11 who are at high risk of entering the juvenile justice system, not performing to their academic peak, using drugs or demonstrating other at-risk behaviors. A second program will focus on providing support to children who are experiencing violence in their homes, involving crisis counseling, school presence of resource officers, prevention through DARE and gang prevention officers, and family violence investigators.

REGIONAL PARKS FOUNDATION
This program provides scholarships for low income fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students in Southern Alameda County to attend Camp Arroyo for the first time. The camp provides a healthy atmosphere for them to develop a greater sense of self and of community with their classmates.

BILL WILSON CENTER
Sister Circle is a women’s health group targeted toward young women ages 16-22, who are homeless or formerly homeless. Goals include increasing self-esteem and access to health resources for homeless women so they will make healthy decisions for their long-term well-being.