FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — It’s a program designed by Fresno students, for Fresno students.
“We are working to help improve mental health for students and student outcomes,” says Wendy McCulley, President and CEO of Foundation for Fresno Unified Students.
The Foundation for Fresno Unified Students received a $50,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente to help support mental health access for students in the Fresno Unified School District.
McCulley says last year, they heard from students about the need for mental health support.
“We really want to listen to what students say and what they need,” she said.
Now, the ideas are turning into action.
“They’re working on a social media campaign to increase awareness because they really want to de-stigmatize mental health,” McCulley said. “We’re also looking at, practically, how we can increase mental health services. Maybe it’s telehealth, maybe it’s a mobile unit, and the Kaiser money will help us investigate all of that.
McCulley says their organization collaborates with the school district.
Having more access to mental health services is critical because students are growing up in a more complex world.
“We wanted to make sure these solutions are going to work for them,” McCulley said. “You have to talk to the people you’re designing for you. You have to have them intimately involved in the process.”
Students are not only taking action, but also building leadership skills.
McCulley says the goal is to launch the social media campaign by next year and to roll out the services within the next two years.
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