We Are Active Minds
What do I do if a youth is experiencing a mental health crisis during a curriculum?
It is a requirement of schools and organizations to know and adhere to their mental health and safety crisis protocols and procedures. Active Minds cares about the mental and physical safety of youth above all else, which is why it is a requirement of your signed Partnership Agreement. To participate in the We Are Active…
How do I find youth leaders and how many youth leaders should I use?
Youth leaders can be any youth the adult facilitator feels can be or already is a leader, influencer, or powerful voice among peers. The youth leaders can volunteer, or the adult facilitator can ask youth they think could do well in the role. We highly recommend encouraging youth who might be hesitant or overlooked to…
When thinking about the facilitators leading the curriculum, who have you found to be the best fit for the role? Social workers? Counselors? Teachers? Youth Development Professionals?
Active Minds can assist with identifying the characteristics of a strong facilitator and train them as well! Active Minds will share a list of skills and attributes that may help you identify a strong facilitator. This is an adult that youth feel safe with and empowered by. Youth flock to these adults because they provide…
Can new youth join the program any time or drop in for a couple lessons?
For We Are to be most impactful, we recommend leading the curriculum in a closed group consisting of at least six youths. Or the size of a group required for your school or organization’s pre-determined club/program size (if applicable). For best outcomes, a set group of dedicated youth meet consistently for all 20 lessons.
Will there be included materials such as power-points, videos, handouts, etc.?
We Are Facilitators will receive all materials they need for a successful club/program before they begin engaging with youth.
How often should We Are be facilitated?
All 16 We Are Active Minds Middle sessions and the 4 pre and post surveys should be facilitated within a maximum of one academic school year for each club/group of youth/class. Our suggested cadence is weekly, bi-weekly, or bi-monthly. If your program is being facilitated over the 8-week summer break, we suggest your program meet…
What are the dates of the training?
We Are facilitators will be offered 2 opportunities for training in the fall for fall program start and 2 winter training dates for winter implementation. Training synchronous/live virtual and takes place over 2 days for a total of 4 hours. Facilitator(s) must attend both training sessions. September 2023 Training: Tuesday September 12 and Thursday September…
How many adult facilitators can they send to the training?
All those who are identified as curriculum facilitators should attend and complete training. Typically, sessions are facilitated by one or two facilitators max as school staffing and schedules allow.
Is the intent for ALL of my students to complete the lessons, then expand to clubs if interested? Or are the lessons designed for use in clubs?
While we would love it if at the start of your program or even after your 16 sessions + 4 survey sessions are complete, that your group would decide to continue as a Club, we recognize that all schools/organizations will not be able to do so because of time constraints, pace, scheduling, etc. However, if…
How are Clubs structured?
Many schools and organizations have set standards for how clubs are structured, i.e., how many youth are required to sign up, how often they meet, and agreements for how clubs operate including goals, schedule of events, how positions are decided etc. If this is true for your school/organization, your We Are Active Minds Club should…
Active Minds is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization promoting mental health awareness and education for young adults.