Student well-being

Young people today are experiencing a mental health crisis unlike anything we’ve seen before. And it’s why Impact on Education is committed to establishing and expanding access to mental health support for Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) students during the school day.

WELLNESS CENTERS

At Monarch High School, where 1 in 10 students was
impacted by the Marshall Fire, BVSD’s first Wellness Center was created to support students in August 2022.

When we saw the impact the Wellness Center had on their school community we committed to opening five more and sustaining the one at Monarch. Impact on Education funding is now supporting six high school Wellness Centers at Boulder High, Centaurus High, Fairview High, Monarch High, Nederland Middle-Senior and New Vista High.

Wellness Centers provide students a safe place to recharge and speak with a trained professional during the school day. They are welcoming and calming spaces with soft lighting; relaxing music; flexible, comfortable seating; and sensory activities like fidget toys, puzzles and kinetic sand.

It is estimated that one in five children ages 3-17 experience a mental disorder in a given year, the most common of which are ADHD, anxiety problems, behavior problems, and depression.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Students need support to manage their emotional health. The mental health professionals can help teach them how, while the Wellness Centers give them the space to do so.

PARENT EDUCATION

Social media, the pandemic, and climate change were just some of the external pressures students and parents cited during a Community Conversation on supporting the mental health of our youth. This panel discussion was hosted by Impact on Education in April 2023.

More ways to watch: English Subtitles | Spanish

YOU CAN SUPPORT STUDENT WELL-BEING

Together we can elevate the mental health and well-being of our youth.

Mental Health Advocates

How Mental Health Advocates are supporting students and families

Mental Health Advocates (MHAs) focus exclusively on mental and behavioral health, supplementing what BVSD school counselors can provide. Within BVSD, MHAs:

  • provide support for social-emotional and behavioral development, student achievement and crisis intervention
  • provide both group and individual counseling support and work directly with students, parents, and staff members
  • help families access external resources, including making appropriate referrals to community partners

The intensity of mental health concerns and the time required to provide support and intervention varies dramatically from case to case.

The additional MHAs ensure the schools impacted by the Marshall Fire have the intensive layer of mental health support needed, and expand BVSD’s capacity to respond to mental health needs.

“Each person has a different starting point and a different social and community safety net, which means the same disaster affects each person differently.”

Center for disaster philanthropy

42 percent of high school students reported feeling so sad or hopeless regularly for at least a two-week period that they stopped doing their normal daily activities.

Mental Health Resources in Boulder County

Colorado Crisis Services

Statewide behavioral health crisis response system offering residents mental health, substance use or emotional crisis help, information and referrals.
1-844-493-8255 or text “TALK” to 38255  |  https://coloradocrisisservices.org

Safe2Tell

Anonymously report anything that concerns or threatens you, your friends, your family, or your community. Submit reports any time, any day by calling the number below or submitting through their website or mobile app.
1-977-542-7233  |  https://safe2tell.org

Rise Against Suicide

Helps youth at risk of suicide by removing the financial and social barriers to treatment, enabling them to find hope and healing. RISE offers free and immediate mental health therapy to youth struggling with suicidal ideation.

For help – call 720-263-0085 or email referral@riseagainstsuicide.org
To learn more about the program visit riseagainstsuicide.org

Parent Conversation Cards

28 questions to help make conversations with teens easier. Find time each day to ask a question that will get you both talking.
Download the cards as a PDF >>

NAMI Boulder

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Boulder County, is a nonprofit self-help support and advocacy organization of people with mental illnesses and families and friends of people with mental illnesses. NAMI Boulder offers family support groups for parents and caregivers of teens experiencing mental health issues every Wednesday from 7:00-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. 

More Boulder County and Colorado teen mental health resources are available here:
https://namibouldercounty.org/resources/teen-resources

I Matter Therapy

Parents, caregivers or youth may receive up to six free online therapy sessions through this State of Colorado program.
https://imattercolorado.org

Out Boulder County

The youth program is Out Boulder County’s social and educational space for LGBTQ+ youth and their allies ages 11-18. The year round programming includes three weekly support groups, paid youth internships, annual programming, and youth centered community events. The calendar is always evolving.
https://www.outboulder.org

Natural Highs

Empowers teens as leaders around positive peer culture. They provide healthy alternatives to drugs and alcohol through offering workshops, drop-in classes, groups, presentations, sober events, and entrepreneurial and leadership opportunities for teens. Offers a peer mentor program, acudetox, and resources for teens, adults and parents about substance abuse prevention. Empowers teens as leaders around positive peer culture.
https://www.naturalhighs.org

NAMI Say It Out Loud

A free online card game that helps teens explore how they and their friends approach mental health and well-being.
NAMI Say It Out Loud >>

Open and Affirming Sexual Orientation and gender identity Support

OASOS collaborates with LGBTQ+ youth to build safer, healthier, more affirming schools and communities for youth in Boulder County through community engagement, pro-social support groups, one on one resource navigation, school based programming, advocacy, training, health education and leadership development.
OASOS Boulder County >>

BVSD Mental Health Resources

From bully prevention to sexual violence and assault, BVSD offers resources on a variety of mental health topics.
https://www.bvsd.org/parents-students/health-and-wellness/mental-health

SUPPORT EQUITY IN BOULDER VALLEY SCHOOLS

Your gift helps ensure students in the Boulder Valley School District have access to excellent and equitable education.

RECENT STORIES

Grant helps rebuild school library after unprecedented challenges

During the pandemic, the Monarch High School library sat unused. Books sat dusty and uncatalogued and, perhaps more importantly, went out of date. Things got worse when the Marshall Fire struck—the Monarch community was disproportionally affected, and many books that students checked out were lost in the fire. As schools resumed in-person learning, Katherine Croasdale set to work fixing the library.

Read More

An innovative approach to improving teenage mental health

Tess Amer, a mental health advocate at Fairview High School, knows the pressures Boulder’s teenagers face firsthand. As a licensed counselor and certified teacher, she oversees the school’s Wellness Center, a cozy and calming space that welcomes teenagers seeking mental health support.

Read More

This after-school reading club helps emerging bilingual students

Jessica, a literacy interventionist at Alicia Sanchez Elementary School, wanted to level the playing field for emerging bilingual students. With a grant from Impact on Education she built a Reading Club to provide these students with opportunities to grow as readers.

Read More

A history of grants and growth

Starting in 1986, with an initiative to empower educators through mini-grants, we’ve continued to evolve our grant program to meet the ever-changing needs of schools and students. This evolution is a testament to our dedication to creating opportunity for students and leveling the educational playing field.

Read More

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info@impactoneducation.org
303.524.3865

Impact on Education
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Louisville, CO 80027

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