CENTRAL COAST, Calif. – San Luis Obispo’s Community Action Partnership’s Teen Wellness Program will continue supporting youth mental health through a new 27-month project.
Below is a press release about our latest efforts.
The Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo’s (CAPSLO) Teen Wellness Program has received a grant from the California Department of Public Health to improve youth mental health in San Luis Obispo County. The 27-month project, which will run from March 2024 to June 2026, will engage local youth to reduce stigma, promote help-seeking behaviors, particularly among Latino youth, and increase access to behavioral health resources.
“We are thrilled to receive this grant from the California Department of Public Health. This is a fantastic opportunity to help young people in our community get the mental health help they need,” said CAPSLO CEO Elizabeth “Biz” Steinberg.
Through partnerships with schools in San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County, the Teen Wellness Program aims to improve the health of adolescents. A key initiative is the Santa Maria Unified High School District’s Youth Mental Health Ambassadors (YMHA) project, which will launch a comprehensive mental, emotional and behavioral health campaign as part of the California Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI).
“It made me more comfortable talking about mental health. I have a club that supports Latinos, especially immigrants, and I realized that culturally, we don’t feel allowed to talk about these things. [mental health]”Just having a weekly group made me feel more comfortable talking about it. Plus, being a mental health ambassador sounds cool.”
As part of this effort, CAPSLO will recruit young people to form a “Youth Mental Health Ambassador Outreach Team” to develop a media campaign targeting Latino and LGBTQ+ youth in the region. Goals of the campaign include increasing behavioral health literacy among youth, caregivers, educators, healthcare providers and community members. It also aims to increase access to mental health treatment resources through collaboration with local healthcare providers and organizations and raise awareness of youth’s right to confidential services.
Interested young people aged 13-18 can contact Project Leader Emma Fay or scan the QR code below for more information on applying. The deadline to apply is 15 September 2024.
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