The challenge
Mental health challenges in school aged children are on the rise nationwide. Issues like bullying, anxiety, depression, substance misuse, suicide and social disorders are increasing. Many schools are not equipped with curriculums to guide students to build resilience and coping skills to foster mental wellness throughout their lifetimes.
Mental health challenges in school aged children are on the rise nationwide. Issues like bullying, anxiety, depression, substance misuse, suicide and social disorders are increasing. Many schools are not equipped with curriculums to guide students to build resilience and coping skills to foster mental wellness throughout their lifetimes.
The Public Health focused Solution
The Farmington Valley Health District has created an initiative called Resilience Grows Here (RGH), school-based curriculum intended to foster the resilient attributes students need to thrive in life. The curriculum has been designed to meet the Social, Emotional Learning (SEL) requirements for students and has been packaged into easy to deliver 20-minute lessons. Grounded in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) theory, the lessons aim to develop the lifelong skills required to develop emotional resiliency and focus on the prevention of serious mental health challenges by equipping individuals with the confidence to self-identify and seek help early while also building strong self-help skills.
The program is targeted at middle school students but is adaptable to meet the needs of high school students. We are currently developing an elementary school program as well.
Award Winning Program
Farmington Valley Health District was the proud recipient of the 2019 Emerging best Practice in Public Health award for the RGH curriculum from National Association of City and County Health Officials.
Farmington Valley Health District was the proud recipient of the 2019 Emerging best Practice in Public Health award for the RGH curriculum from National Association of City and County Health Officials.
Current Work
FVHD has worked closely with 3 school districts to implement and refine the RGH curriculum. East Granby Schools were the flagship that assisted us in developing and trialing the early curriculum. They were closely followed by the Canton and Granby Schools systems. The RGH curriculum was officially launched in these districts in September 2023, and the first school year has been a remarkable success.
Student Testimonials:
- I learned the importance of facing problems head on.
- [I] have used the skills I have learned in RGH multiples times. For example, when I am sad, mad, depressed, I talk to my parents about it and it kind of helps me.
- I learned about myself and how I can react in certain situations.
- I have really gotten to know different sides of my peers and how I’m not alone in a lot of things.