Call for action:
The Wellesley Rotary Club (WRC) invites interested teens to bring their creative minds to help us create a project that will inform our community about emotional health and wellness. The training occurs Saturday afternoon, Nov. 2; registration for training occurs through the web page www.adolescentwellness.org/rotary/
How do we do this?
The WRC is sponsoring a training conducted by mental health professionals from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology for both WRC members and for teens that may be interested in working with the WRC. The training focuses on:
(1) how to promote conversations about emotional health and wellness
(2) specific skills, such as problem solving and mindfulness techniques
(3) ways to help oneself and others
(4) guidance around defining a project for WRC and its teen collaborators
Then what happens?
Once the project has been defined, WRC members will mentor theteens in the completion of the project. Teens will be asked to meet once a month with the WRC members to discuss updates on the project and to complete tasks together. Together with the WRC, the teens will be asked to be a part of the implementation of the project (for example, teens can participate by mentoring younger kids, or by hosting an event).
What is the end result?
The outcomes will happen at two levels: individual and community wide:
1. Individual:
a. Teens will learn the definition of emotional health and wellness, what factors contribute to it, what factors may get in the way of wellness, and how wellness can be promoted on a daily basis.
b. Teens will learn and practice skills that will help them individually (e.g., problem solving).
2. Community wide:
a. Teens will have the experience of working with caring mentors who can shepherd their ideas around creating a project that focuses on emotional health and wellness.
b. Teens will create a specific project that will promote communication around emotional health and wellness (examples may include creating a flyer the gives wellness tips, teaching younger kids wellness skills, organizing a community emotional wellness fair, etc.)
The WRC hopes that more open conversations about mental health and wellness can be promoted throughout the Wellesley community through this innovative collaboration that promotes intergenerational communication and sharing of knowledge. This kind of open, honest communication can eventually break down stigma related to mental health and encourage others to be as mindful of their emotional health as they are of their physical health.
Context
This year, the WRC chose emotional health and wellness as one of its areas of community education and service. To address this topic, Adolescent Wellness, Inc. and the WRC are inviting teens to collaborate on creating a project that will bring awareness of this topic to the community. The WRC looks forward to this exciting collaboration, as emotional health and wellness are areas of interest for any age and the perspective that teens can offer adults is invaluable. We hope to enhance skills around how to promote conversations and how to teach both old and young in creative, fun ways.
