Mental health initiative to benefit thousands of Will County students

On Thursday, United Way of Will County celebrated a new mental health initiative that could positively impact thousands of Will County students.

United Way of Will County gathered with community leaders, educators and U.S. Rep. Bill Foster at the Jacob Henry Mansion Estate in Joliet for an invitation-only celebratory event.

Foster helped obtain Community Project Funding in the amount of $884,000 for the Resilient Youth mental health curriculum for all K-12 schools in Will County for the upcoming school year, according to Sarah Oprzedek, president and CEO of United Way of Will County.

Oprzedek said United Way was approved for funding for a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration fiscal year 2023 Congressional Directive Spending Project.

She said that Kamala Martinez, who stepped down as president and CEO of United Way of Will County on Jan. 31, knew of the Resilient Youth when she previously served as CEO of the KidsMatter Foundation in Naperville and worked to bring it to Will County.

“And now that Kamala has moved on, we’re keeping it moving forward,” Oprzedek said.

More than 26,000 students may benefit from the program

Resilient Youth is a prevention-based, research-backed program that researchers from Harvard Medical School and clinicians from the Child Resiliency Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Benson-Henry Institute developed more than 25 years ago. Oprzedek said.

School faculty will be trained in the program and then bring coping skills into the classroom to help students manage their daily stress, Oprzedek said.

On Wednesday, Foster said the upsurge in mental health struggles, particularly in students, since the start of the pandemic, motivated him to help get funding.

“One of the most effective programs that has been proven for almost 25 years is the Resilient Youth program,” Foster said on Wednesday. “It’s going to train 529 teachers throughout all Will County that will ultimately impact over 26,000 students. And so, the program will be administered through United Way of Will County, which is a trusted and reliable organization with a long history in Will County.”

Resilient Youth is an “effective use of the money,” since trained teachers will ultimately impact “a very large number of kids,” Foster said on Wednesday. Kids will learn “simple interventions and coping mechanisms” that aren’t typically taught in schools, Foster said on Wednesday.

“The teachers will be able to relay these to their kids,” Foster said on Wednesday, “and also recognize real problems that need referrals to professionals.”

Resilient Youth basics

Tom Klisiewicz, founder and president of SMART Health Wellness and Performance in Naperville, is the certified resilient youth instructor who will lead the district trainings.

Klisiewicz said the 12-session curriculum consists of 30 to 45 minute classes. Students will learn techniques to address stress when it arises.

Some of the techniques, such as the five-finger breathing, are deceptively simple, but can regulate emotions during overwhelming moments, he said. But that’s not the only strategy kids will learn.

“They can lean on the ones that work for them,” Klisiewicz said. “Everybody is different.”

Klisiewicz said athletes will often practice these techniques. They can be used during test-taking and job-interviews, too, he added.

“You don’t do these things of things because something is wrong with you,” Klisiewicz said. “They help you do better at what you want to do.”

The trick is learning the techniques and practicing them ahead of time.

“When challenges rise, they have these habits built and can lean on them to get them through these challenges,” Klisiewicz said.

Lockport high schools adopted Resilient Youth in 2020

He said Lockport Township High School District 205 already adopted Resilient Youth and that he trained faculty at Joliet Township High School District 204 in the program in 2021.

Bob McBride, superintendent of Lockport Township High School District 205, brought Resilient Youth into Lockport high schools in June 2020 as a substitute for physical education since the district already had a partnership with KidsMatter. McBride said half the physical education teachers were trained.

With the program, students social distanced while walking, doing chair yoga, and practicing mindfulness and self-reflection, he said. The program is now “threaded” into the district’s physical education program to continue fostering that body-mind connection, he said.

McBride said students can use techniques in any content class. He said building resilience improves decision-making, even beyond students’ school years.

“There will be the next challenging situation where these principles will matter a great deal,” McBride said.

For more information, visit uwwill.org/resilient-youth.