An Erika’s Lighthouse Teen Empowerment Club is a school club that empowers and educates to eliminate stigma. In a Teen Empowerment Club, students are given a chance to make a difference in their school and normalize mental illness, promote good mental health and build a culture of inclusiveness throughout the year. The top five reasons […]
We are excited to partner with Kiwanis International and Key Clubs around the world to bring mental health awareness to school communities everywhere! When was the last time you had a conversation with your peers or your teachers about mental health? Did any of your classes address the importance of caring for your emotional well-being and […]
Mental illness and suicide are closely connected. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, “90% of young people who die of suicide have a mental health condition at the time of their death”. This demonstrates that suicide prevention programming should not be offered independently of broader mental health education. Erika’s Lighthouse is a provider […]
One of the unique aspects of Erika’s Lighthouse programming is that we believe that depression education is suicide awareness and prevention. When Erika’s Lighthouse began, conversations around good mental health were rarely if ever discussed in the classroom. Our founders felt it was important to not just focus on suicide and depression but to develop […]
Erika’s Lighthouse has grown in the past 17 years from providing mental health education to a few suburban Chicago schools to now providing a comprehensive mental health education program to more than 1 million students nationwide. The Erika’s Lighthouse community includes: Teachers and school administrators who have taught the no-cost, evidence-informed suicide prevention programming, Middle-schoolers […]