(Deming) – Deming High School students participated in a student focus group as part of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation's Think Change initiative that is working to reduce the mental health stigma in the borderland.
Suki Martinez-Parham, a researcher with the TriWest Group, said four Deming youth participated in the discussion group and talked about how mental illness and others not understanding mental illness affects their peers.
Martinez-Parham told the students that TriWest would use the information gathered during the focus group to begin building a student survey. After that, she said they plan to involve students again through the evaluation of the survey from the student perspective.
Adult education about mental health issues began in May when the school district's Wildcat Awareness Program, a grant-funded initiative, taught its first Youth Mental Health First Aid Course to the district's nursing staff. Since then, the program trainers have taught three Adult Mental Health First Aid Courses – two to staff and the other to staff from CitiLife Church and Love INC.
District staffers Olivia Paez, Margie Taylor, and Estella Rodriguez were the first-year trainers. Paez and Taylor will continue to train as the district enters the second year of the grant.
The district is hoping to have a training schedule identifying training dates for January, February, and March by the winter holiday.
Suki Martinez-Parham, a researcher with the TriWest Group, said four Deming youth participated in the discussion group and talked about how mental illness and others not understanding mental illness affects their peers.
Martinez-Parham told the students that TriWest would use the information gathered during the focus group to begin building a student survey. After that, she said they plan to involve students again through the evaluation of the survey from the student perspective.
Adult education about mental health issues began in May when the school district's Wildcat Awareness Program, a grant-funded initiative, taught its first Youth Mental Health First Aid Course to the district's nursing staff. Since then, the program trainers have taught three Adult Mental Health First Aid Courses – two to staff and the other to staff from CitiLife Church and Love INC.
District staffers Olivia Paez, Margie Taylor, and Estella Rodriguez were the first-year trainers. Paez and Taylor will continue to train as the district enters the second year of the grant.
The district is hoping to have a training schedule identifying training dates for January, February, and March by the winter holiday.
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