FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A group of students from Justin Garza High School is taking its message of mental health awareness to a statewide audience this week after being selected to present a student-created project at the National Alliance on Mental Illness California Conference.<\/p>\n
The project, known as the Buddy Box, is a small box filled with tools designed to help younger students manage emotions, reduce stress and encourage conversations about mental health.<\/p>\n
Inside, students have placed a variety of sensory and stress-relief items.<\/p>\n
“So in this Buddy Box, we have different types of stress toys or just sensory toys overall, such as this fidget or these crayons,” said NAMI Club Co-President Harjot Kaur.<\/p>\n
The boxes were created by members of Justin Garza High School’s National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, Club. The student organization focuses on mental health advocacy, education and reducing stigma surrounding mental health challenges.<\/p>\n
Club leaders Harjot Kaur and Aleaha Musto said the boxes are part of a larger outreach effort aimed at elementary school students.<\/p>\n
Members of the club regularly visit local elementary campuses, where they talk with younger students about emotional well-being and the importance of expressing their feelings.<\/p>\n
At the end of each visit, they leave behind a Buddy Box for the classroom.<\/p>\n
“So what we’re trying to do is make it kid-friendly,” Kaur said. “We want it to be fun for them. We don’t want them to think of it as something so serious.”<\/p>\n
In addition to sensory items, each Buddy Box includes resource materials for teachers. The information is available in both English and Spanish to help educators support students.<\/p>\n
The project recently caught the attention of organizers at NAMI California’s annual conference.<\/p>\n
Out of approximately 200 applications, the Justin Garza students were one of only two high school groups selected to present their work at the event.<\/p>\n
Intervention counselor and club advisor Paul Mirmingos said conference organizers were particularly interested in learning how students were successfully bringing mental health education into elementary school settings.<\/p>\n
“It just goes to show how much hard work that they put in, and how dedicated they’ve been to the club on campus and growing the club,” Mirmingos said.<\/p>\n
At the conference, students will deliver presentations to both youth attendees and mental health professionals. Their presentation will highlight the work of the club, mental health initiatives at their school and the development of the Buddy Box program.<\/p>\n
Co-President Aleaha Musto said she hopes attendees leave with new ideas about how to support children’s mental health at an early age.<\/p>\n
“I’m really hoping they take away just how to improve mental health in younger people because not many people go that low before mental health occurs,” Musto said.<\/p>\n
The students are scheduled to travel to Anaheim, where they will present over two days before returning home later in the week.<\/p>\n
School leaders say the opportunity is not only a recognition of the students’ hard work but also a chance to share a locally developed program with educators and mental health advocates from across California.<\/p>\n
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