Youth United for Change

With the debate raging nationwide about schools and whether to open them amid the coronavirus pandemic, experts say now more than ever, students need mental health support.

Youth Organizers across time and space have eaten pizza as the traditional food of our meetings! Come join in & grab a slice this friday at Four Sons Pizzeria, all proceeds go to YUC!

For over three years now, we've been building and in a state of constant experimentation so that our folks can have the kind of organization fighting with them that they deserve. The process has been extremely hard emotionally and in terms of the amount of thought and labor that has been needed but we recognize that sometimes the only way to become the thing that is needed is to go through it, even when it's scary. For the last year, we've been working on compiling a collect...ive summation of this period so that we can share our story and lessons in service of the movement, so any and all of us might get stronger as a result. Today is the day we finally get to share Y'all Tryna Win or Nah?!, part one of a two part book series that we've poured our hearts into. We're very happy to be able to offer copies for free download here: bit.ly/2KRF5Ps Thank you to our incredible members, their families, our partner organizations and allies, our families, our design team, comment teams for making all of this possible. We believe it's possible to win and you all bring us closer to that reality every single day. #yalltrynawin

In the lead up to our release of Y'all Tryna Win or Nah?! we asked several movement leaders from around the country and who have organized in different sectors to provide their feedback...this is what they had to say... Take their word for it and get your copy tomorrow #yalltrynawin

"We have to fight between good grades or a positive mental health and that needs to change. We are calling out the District today on their unfulfilled commitments. We’ve done our part, now it’s your turn." Read YUC Leader Aniya Timberlake's sharp testimony here: https://bit.ly/2XiQB9d

"We need to find a way to proactively improve the mental health environment instead of waiting for a negative mental health situation for staff to react to." Read YUC Member Uchechi Ezengwa's full April 25th testimony here: http://bit.do/eQJLj #Mentalhealth

It's long overdue that mental health is taken seriously, especially in our Latina communities. I feel administration sees education and mental health support as a privilege rather than a right. In turn, even though we are often the ones that need the most help, we are the least likely to get it. I want this report to inspire schools to make concrete changes in the way we approach mental health." Yesenia Rodriguez We are so proud to have had the privilege to serve as co-aut...hors in the powerful report, We Are Not Invisible; Latina Girls, Mental Health and Philadelphia Schools put together by the National Women’s Law Center! As we continue to fight for comprehensive interventions in schools that address the mental health needs of all students, we recognize that girls and all gender-oppressed Latinx youth are disproportionately impacted by the lack of attention paid to these issues. Check out the report and see what we had to say! https://nwlc.org//we-are-not-invisible-latina-girls-menta/

Today City Wide Chapter members ChiChi, Gabby and Yesenia met with District Deputies, Lori Paster (Office of Prevention and Intervention) and Rachel Holzman (Office of Rights and Responsibilities) to discuss 4 key student-developed recommendations for clear actions the District can take to strengthen mental health interventions immediately. We received commitments from both Deputies to help champion all 4 recommendations and take the beginning steps that will lead to eventual implementation, within the next few weeks! Although this is a major step, we know it’s not the end. We will be following up next week to check on progress made. #staytuned

Members of Youth United for Change know that having strong relationships with the adults in their schools, like Ms. Anstotz who is an incredible counselor at Bodine High School, is paramount to an atmosphere that is proactively caring for the mental health of students. That is why we are supporting Philly School Counselors United’s call for increased funding in the State of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia to enable the hiring of more school counselors. Reducing coun...selor caseloads will go a long way to aid counselors to be more available for their students. We also know that we cannot stop there. We believe that we must address the conditions that counselors are working in - an environment in which mental health is secondary to academic performance. We hope that by working with the PSCU and counselors at large, we will get closer to a vision that brings mental health to the the center of all school policies and programs. https://www.change.org/p/governor-tom-wolf-provide-funding-

(tw: suicide) "When I was doing well academically and mentally, I felt as if school really supported me. Once my mental health started to decline, there was a lot of internal questioning for me on seeking support from a counselor. How would I be supported? Am I going to be vulnerable to a stranger and get nothing out of it? Who would they tell? When I finally decided to go, telling them I had been persistently feeling depressed and suicidal, they just listened and did nothing... to help me. Over time, my mental health got worse and my grades fell fast. It took two years of continuous visits with different counselors, through compounding hardships, before I was supported to find coping mechanisms and a therapist. As a member of YUC, I learned I am not the only one who feels that student voices need to be heard and the School District needs to do more to address mental health." Check out YUC Member's Bee Ruiz's testimony from the March 28, 2019 School Board Meeting here: https://bit.ly/2uCjr7Y #MentalHealthCampaign #HumanDevelopment

In January 2018, YUC members identified that schools are not equipped to proactively support students experiencing mental health difficulties and also can contribute to worsening mental health of students. Thus, we launched the first known student-centered, Mental Health Campaign in Philadelphia. Members developed a campaign platform addressing unnecessary and toxic stress imposed on students on a daily basis as well as the lack of proactive interventions that support a posit...ive mental health environment. In the spring of 2018, we voiced this platform to the outgoing SRC and Superintendent Hite. Dr. Hite reacted immediately that he wanted to meet with our members and hear more about our campaign, only to remain unresponsive to scheduling requests. Even though we have not been in the limelight a whole lot since then, we haven't stopped working to advance our campaign. Since last year, we’ve regrouped our base, assessed our previous campaign efforts and strategies; we held listening sessions with District principals and other administrators, while assessing which allies we might be able to call on as we move forward. Members have also developed new skills in order to update our campaign platform and strategy! We will be announcing more about this platform at the March 28th school board meeting where a City-wide member will be testifying. While the campaign season is just getting started, we already have been able to secure a meeting with the School District’s Office of Prevention and Intervention which is responsible for the District’s behavioral health and trauma informed efforts and we are planning for a busy spring that will include engaging School and Public officials in an effort to make mental health a primary issue when it comes to improving the experiences for Philadelphia’s students. We know managing our mental health can be a lonely journey, especially when those around us don't always see what's happening. But it doesn't have to be. This year, we are hopeful that YUC will be able to win some concrete improvements so that Philadelphia students will no longer have to do this in isolation and that young people will be able to get the supports they deserve!

We're saying goodbye to the first quarter of the school year by celebrating the hard work that the Kensington and City-Wide chapters put in! Check out what YUC has been up to and don't miss out on the next opportunity to join the team! #labornotmagic

We believe that voting is one step we can take to begin to create the conditions for a world our communities deserve! With the voter registration deadline tomorrow, make sure you, your family, friends and community members are all able to make your voices heard in November! Don't miss the deadline! Register now @ https://bit.ly/2xQfDlA