CEO Corner with Dr. Celine Coggins 

Spotlight on TGW’s New Grantee, Our Minds Matter

I am excited to share a profile of Our Minds Matter (OMM), the newest nonprofit to join The Goodness Web’s portfolio of grantees. Lauren Anderson, an incredible entrepreneur who lost her brother to suicide, founded the organization on the belief that young people are essential supports for their peers in reducing stigma, increasing help-seeking behavior among those experiencing mental health struggles, and building a culture of belonging across a school.

 

OMM focuses on "upstream" suicide prevention, primarily by training teens to be peer leaders and advocates through campaigns and clubs in middle and high schools. Adult sponsors help provide the structure and content for participant meetings and campaigns, focusing on evidence-based content that leads to stronger protective factors (e.g., help-seeking behaviors and social connectedness) for youth. Strong protective factors lead to better youth mental health outcomes, including decreased suicide risk. OMM has invested in research that demonstrates positive behavior change among individual participants in the program as well as schoolwide culture change attributable to campaigns around topics like suicide awareness and self-acceptance.

 

OMM members also participate in other leadership roles, such as teaching about mental health in health classes and giving feedback to district leaders on how to approach the issue in ways that will resonate with young people. Many aspire to careers in the mental health field.

 

One of our TGW Youth Advisory Council members, Jasmin Goodwin, served as a youth leader within OMM before graduating from high school. Her stories of how OMM influenced her as a leader brought the power of the program to light for us as we were going through the diligence process. We hope you’ll take a look at her video description of her experience and get inspired!