Since the start of UN ASPIRE South, advisors Michele Vella and Michael Healey have made sure to educate their students on mental health. Therefore members have and will continue to inject the topic of mental health in everyday conversations to their community because they themselves have realized the importance of such a topic. Suicide alone is the leading cause of death amoung youth worldwide; imagine how much our world's bright future diminshes as unaddressed mental health needs continue to affect the lives of our youth.

 

While UN ASPIRE South has presented their work in health with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminstration and the Youth National Partnership for Action in a virtual presentation and at the 2014 Health Disparities Conference at Teacher's College Columbia University, their latest project was to further discuss mental health in their local community. PBS (Positive Behavior Support) is a monthly lesson taught at East Stroudsburg High School South that hopes to build a stronger student body. The ASPIRE group committed to educating the 1,400 student and faculty on mental health in the spring of 2015. With the help of Mr. Tony Strobel, Case Manager Supervisor at Lehigh Valley Hospital, and Ms. Roslyn Holliday-Moore, US Department of Health and Human Services on community initiatives, we were able to produce a phenomenal lesson to be implemented anywhere to anyone. Above are the links to the presentation with a guide for teachers and a resource list in the local East Stroudsburg area.

 

Remember education on mental health never stays with just one person. It sends a ripple effect to affect entire communities.