The graduation for the “Our Neighbors Mental Health Support Team,” which was created as a Worcester Parent Ambassador Project for Mental Health, took place September 30 as a recognition of the time and work 18 women within the Worcester community put in to ensure that people have the proper resources and assistance to meet their needs.
The Parents Action Group, which was formed at the start of COVID-19, created this initiative in order to find solutions to what is needed within the community of Worcester.
“We all came together as parent leaders and basically parents within the city to bring up items and community needs,” said Mari Gonzalez, executive director of El Buen Samaritano. “This group always talked about how there was a need for remote learning, food insecurity, child care, and things that were basically going on. One of the biggest topics was mental health.”
The initiative was created with additional support for the Massachusetts Jobs with Justice Parent Program (PUMA); Worcester Family Partnership; Worcester Community Connections of YOU, Inc., an affiliate of Seven Hills; Quinsigamond Community College; The Worcester Housing Authority; and Community Legal Aid. Funding for the project came from Hanover Insurance. Other partners were Parents and Partners of the Parent Action Group as well as Worcester Together.
“This was a pretty remarkable effort because, as a social service provider, we know how hard it is to encourage families to get help, with the stigma around mental health,” said Anne Bureau, a program director at Seven Hills’ Worcester Community Connections Coalition. “These brilliant parents with Mari’s help said ‘Wait a minute. Use us! We know the people.’ It’s just incredible the wisdom of the parents that came up with this. It’s like a no-brainer.”
Parent leaders came together to take three different training programs, which Shine Initiative, which is a mental health resource organization specifically for youth, ran. The program, called “Our Neighbors,” created “trusted messengers,” which would allow people to come to the now-graduates for any kind of information. Shine Initiative was able to train the parents virtually both in Spanish and English, with translations taking place on Zoom, covering topics of suicide prevention, youth mental health, referal tactics, and coping skills.
“As we met and developed the model together, it was clear that partnering with neighborhood and cultural groups to create cohorts of committed and caring parents/guardians, neighbors who could help neighbors was exactly the right approach,” said Fred Kaelin, executive director of the Shine Initiative. “We are so pleased to have partnered with El Buen Samartino and the Parent Action Group on this effort, and look forward to replicating this model throughout the city.”
For both Kaelin and Gonzalez, they recognized the need for mental health support, especially during the pandemic.
“The Shine Initiative had more parents/guardians approach us last year than ever before, eager to help the youth and their peers that they saw understandably struggling with the twin pandemics of Covid and structural racism,” Kaelin said. “We learned just as much as an organization, I think, as the group of parent Ambassadors did.”
Kaelin mentioned that Jessika Zequeria, Shine Initative’s community education specialist, had already been working to evolve their “trusted messenger” program, which promotes people understanding the resources available to support each other in the community, in high schools. The Mindmatters students led peer de-stigmatization efforts and helped to provide safe spaces and normalize conversations around mental health.
“The pandemic has been an emotional rollercoaster for families, and we’re still going through it,” said Gonzalez, who also went through the training program herself. “With the training we received, we can now give out resources. This world needs kind people. This world needs people to listen.”
Gonzalez spoke to how the pandemic has affected mental health greatly due to the additional stress, financial burdens, and increase in food insecurity within the area. Gonzalez said that as director of a food pantry, she sees around 1700 people monthly and recognizes the need they have for additional resources, including food, clothing, and mental health support.
The other graduates who went through the program also seemed to agree about the take aways.
“It was a great experience. I learned a lot,” Yessenia Bates said. “With my experience after classes and learning…my eyes are wide open and now I see opportunities and things that I missed before.”
Bates mentioned that she sees a lot of people posting to Facebook about their emotions and what they’re going through. She said she has messaged a few of them to check in and offer resources.
Beyond that, Bates mentioned her 18-year-old daughter and her friends. She said that she has been listening with a “different ear…really trying to listen and provide resources” if she sees that they’re needed.
“If my daughter was at someone else’s house, I would love for a parent to say ‘hey let’s look a bit deeper,’ to save someone,” Bates said.
Jocelyn Suero also mentioned the shock she felt about how much need there is in the community.
“Even though we knew before a lot about empathy and care, so many times my mouth was wide open,” Suero said in Spanish. “I couldn’t believe there were so many people going through a lot.”
Suero added that not everyone has the same ability to stand up and go about their days in the same “normal” way.
“I’m grateful for the ability to be here to help, to support someone, and to bring resources to people,” Suero said. “It’s time for us to go out and do the job.”
The graduates all received a certificate and gift card. The parent leaders will continue to meet with El Buen Samaritano and Shine Initiative every two weeks to go over any needs, success stories, and allow space for venting.
“You never know what information you’re going to get from somebody that trusts you,” Gonzalez said. “Right now, with the suicidal rates, food insecurity, mental health, housing, no child care, the kids being remote, and COVID hasn’t ended, everyone needs someone to talk to. It just made sense for us to come together and collaborate to figure out what we can do.”
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