STUDENTS AGAINST DESTRUCTIVE DECISIONS (SADD) TO PROVIDE ITS CLUB MEMBERS WITH RESOURCES FROM ERIKA’S LIGHTHOUSE TO DEFEAT THE STIGMA SURROUNDING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
Winnetka, Ill., November 3, 2022 – Erika’s Lighthouse announced today that it will provide its Teen Clubs and Awareness into Action Activities to thousands of students around the country who are part of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) middle school and high school clubs. Teen Empowerment Clubs and Awareness into Action Activities help teens empower one another around mental health, depression, and suicide awareness. Erika’s Lighthouse is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating and raising awareness about adolescent depression, encouraging good mental health and addressing, and ultimately, eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
SADD, which is a national non-profit organization dedicated to the safety and wellness of all students. will promote resources from Erika’s Lighthouse on its website, social media pages, and its new membership portal. SADD chapters that become Erika’s Lighthouse Affiliate Clubs will have the opportunity to utilize more than 50 Awareness into Action Activities. There will also be a dedicated section on Erika’s Lighthouse’s Resource Portal, which highlights activities and resources for SADD chapters. Throughout the year, SADD will also feature Awareness into Action Activities from a national level, in which all SADD chapters will take part. Erika’s Lighthouse and SADD will also co-promote their programs within their respective school networks.
“We need to make the care of our mental health as prevalent as our physical health,” said Shreen Shavkani, the National President of SADD. “Our partnership with Erika’s Lighthouse will make resources available to schools and communities that are working every day to empower students and mobilize their communities. We look forward to working together to change the culture around mental wellness.”
“In recent years, we have seen more and more students open up to have meaningful conversations around mental health, depression, and suicide,” said Brandon Combs, the Executive Director of Erika’s Lighthouse. “Our partnership with SADD has the potential to further these conversations among the students that are part of the 8,000 schools with SADD Chapters. These student leaders are perfect examples of the type of peer leadership our schools need to continue these discussions.”
Erika’s Lighthouse recently accepted the 2022 Youth and Family Partnership Award, which was presented by the National Center for School Mental Health. The organization strives to ensure adolescents in school districts can take advantage of the range of free tools and best practices to empower students to transcend depression and other mental health conditions.
In the 2021-2022 school year, programming from Erika’s Lighthouse reached more than 402,000 students in nine countries, 41 states, and 1,500 schools. More information on bringing Erika’s Lighthouse programs to elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools is available at: www.erikaslighthouse.org/teen-depression-awareness-classroom-programs/.
SADD resources for students, parents, and community members can be found on the SADD website at www.sadd.org or on your favorite social media platform.
About Erika’s Lighthouse
Erika’s Lighthouse is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating and raising awareness about adolescent depression, encouraging good mental health, and breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Depression is a major risk factor for teen suicide. The organization works to eliminate the stigma surrounding depression and empower young people to take ownership of their mental health. Core programs include We All Have Mental Health, which is for grades four through six; Depression Awareness for grades five through nine; and Depression Education and Suicide Awareness for high school students. Erika’s Lighthouse also offers a suite of programs designed to allow educators to empower adolescents with an introduction to mental health, depression-literacy, help-seeking and what it takes to promote good mental health. More information is available at https://www.erikaslighthouse.org/.
About SADD
For more than 40 years, SADD, the nation’s premier youth health safety organization, has worked to empower students, engage parents, mobilize communities, and change lives around the issues of traffic safety, substance abuse, and personal health and safety. SADD equips students with the resources they need to advocate for change in their communities through a national network of peer-led chapters in middle schools, high schools, and colleges. Join the movement by visiting www.sadd.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
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For media inquiries related to Erika’s Lighthouse, please contact Joshua Taustein at josh@erikaslighthouse.org.
For media inquiries related to SADD, please contact Elizabeth Vermette at evermette@sadd.org.
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