The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and City of Santa Monica are asking for the community to support efforts to tackle the teen mental health issues by casting their vote for The Thrive Center at Samohi in this year’s LA2050 contest.
The $100,000 prize would fund a next generation holistic approach needed to effectively address the range of challenges faced by teens in our community. Lessons learned in Santa Monica would be shared in order to benefit the larger Los Angeles region.
“Students today are exposed to many things and many are under stress. We are concerned that in a recent California Healthy Kids Survey, 26% of middle and high school youth report feelings of depression and over half of 11th graders surveyed report substance or alcohol use, and 22% of them report binge drinking,” said SMMUSD Superintendent Sandy Lyon. “It is clear that we need to provide more education about the effects of substance and alcohol use as well as information on healthy choices and lifestyles. Embedded wellness services in our schools will help us do that more effectively. The Thrive Center at Samohi will be a revolutionary step toward effectively dealing with this issue.”
The Thrive Center is a key strategy in Santa Monica’s Cradle to Career multi-pronged initiative to boost the wellbeing of youth and families in our community. Other strategies focus on coordinated whatever-it-takes services for Santa Monica’s most vulnerable older youth and helping parents prepare their children for the critical transition from preschool to kindergarten.
“Santa Monica is a community where people matter. We have a long, dedicated track record when it comes to programs and resources that improve the health and wellbeing of our residents,” said Santa Monica Mayor Kevin McKeown. “Our youth are our most precious resource. Doing everything we can to help them thrive should be a top priority.”
Through the LA2050 Challenge, 10 winners will each receive $100,000 to implement their vision. Voting for the Thrive Center at Samohi will increase its eligibility for funding. Public voting is open until noon on Tuesday, November 3. Visit http://myla2050live2015.maker.good.is/projects/samohithrive for more details and to vote in support of this important program.
