Teens are lost every day to suicide. Friends and family need more knowledge to recognize symptoms & take action.
THE SOLUTION
Mental Health First Aid: Research, Expert Opinions, & Peer-to-Peer Education
When you were young, if you fell down and scraped a knee, what would you do? Probably get a bandaid from wherever you keep your first aid supplies, right? Yet, most of us don’t know what ‘first aid’ means when it comes to mental health, despite the stakes being much higher.
The first aspect of the MHFA project fills gaps in online resources. Ámaxa teams work to compile a comprehensive database of mental health resources at the country, state and local level. The goal is to have a comprehensive database where, no matter where you are located, you can find help, resources, and community.
The second aspect of the MHFA project is building a mental health first aid course. Ámaxa teams conduct outreach and interviews with leaders in the field of youth mental health. Conversations with these researchers and educators will form the backbone of the mental health course we hope to develop and implement in schools worldwide. Our vision is to bring mental health education and practices into classrooms, clubs and more through peer to peer conversation, teaching and learning.
TAKE ACTION
Join our next cohort to be a part of the fight.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
"It’s great to spread awareness, like mental health month, but not everybody that spreads awareness understands the underlying factors, how to recognize different symptoms."
Katelyn & Saachi, 16, USA
Katelyn and Saachi each led Mental Health First Aid workshops at their school. Katelyn focused on mental health in teens and researched to create a presentation customized to her classmates. Saachi organized a presentation for 60 students and teachers on a OneLove module about toxic relationships. To accomplish this, she got certified through the OneLove 18-hour intense training, successfully advertised her event at her school, and delivered the workshop and facilitated students’ journeys towards also getting certified.
Katelyn and Saachi are both continuing their work as Ámaxa Student Ambassadors to build mental health first aid education in their communities and help with other ámaxa projects.
Teammates: Katelyn (17, USA)