NorthKey Community Care – a leader in providing behavioral health services in Northern Kentucky – is launching the Regional Youth Leadership Council.
The Council is a new program designed to collaborate with young people to improve their behavioral health, help keep Northern Kentucky communities safe and provide experience and skills to help young people build resumes and college applications. The Council launches on April 21.
The Council will feature a series of hybrid meetings to discuss, teach and implement activities based around mental health awareness and substance use prevention. The Youth Substance Use Prevention Skills curriculum is an evidence-based training regimen that introduces prevention and provides information on substances that are prominent in communities. The goal of the program is to build youth leaders who can take valuable information and skills back to their schools and communities.
“Our young people face a host of behavioral health challenges, including substance use, mental health struggles, suicide, bullying and the relentless onslaught of social media,” said NorthKey Chief Integrated Care Officer Jessica Ellis.
“The Council will help promote awareness around mental health, encourage open conversations and help youth recognize when to seek help for themselves or others, which is critical in preventing suicide. Overall, the program helps equip young people with the tools and confidence to support both themselves and their peers and empowers them to stand up against negative behaviors and foster more positive, inclusive school environments.”
Participants in the Council will also build friendships, connect with potential references, learn presentation and media production skills, gain experience working with the media and explore opportunities to influence policy – all of which will reflect positively on college and career resumes and applications.
The Council, which is free, is open to students in 7th through 12th grade in Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Grant, Owen, Gallatin, Carroll, and Pendleton counties. Sessions will be held both in person – with gas cards provided to help cover transportation costs – and online to make it more easier for youth to attend. The first meeting will be virtual on April 21.
Interested youth must apply and have parent or guardian permission to participate. More information is available at (https://www.northkey.org).
The Regional Youth Leadership Council is part of NorthKey’s aggressive efforts to help address the behavioral health of Northern Kentucky’s young people. NorthKey also provides counseling and mental health services in more than 70 elementary and high schools throughout the eight-county Northern Kentucky region, county-specific suicide support for youth and families, prevention programming, and supports “Project Sticker Shock” to raise awareness about substance use and mental health.