Since our last newsletter, The NAN Project has continued our virtual presentations to students, educators, and community groups throughout Massachusetts. As we near the end of another school year, we’re proud to say that since March 2020, our team has provided programming to 2,837 students and 1,585 adults that support them! While we’re hopeful that next year’s presentations might be done face-to-face, we wanted to take a moment to recap the incredible work The NAN Project Team, and our Peer Mentors have done over Zoom – from their bedrooms, living rooms, and kitchen tables!
MASCA Conference The NAN Project team presented one of our professional development workshops at this April’s conference of the Massachusetts School Counselors Association (MASCA.) The workshop, titled, Building Resilience in the Shadow of COVID covers our tried and true strategies for the months of transition ahead. In total, 65 educators and counselors from all over the state tuned in to watch our presentation, which offers practical tips for both educators, counselors, and the students they serve!
La Colaborativa This spring, TNP had the opportunity to create connections with many communities and student groups. Interns from La Colaborativa’s Mental Health Internship program completed targeted micro-internships for mental health organizations, including The NAN Project! These interns attended our Peer Mentor presentations and received QPR Suicide Prevention training, then got straight to work creating materials to promote our programming to their school administrations – see them below!
These interns opened the doors to Chelsea High School and Excel Academy, and we’re looking forward to working with these schools, and the greater Chelsea Community, more in the weeks and months to come!
QPR trainings for DPH & Eliot This year, our team has offered a total of 18 Question,Persuade, Refer (QPR) Suicide Prevention trainings for employees of Eliot and the Department of Public Health, with more on the books for this spring and summer! It has been a pleasure to work with so many professionals, and to offer QPR as a refresher course for the critical skills the training offers. One audience member reported that, “The webinar was engaging and showed how to directly apply what we learned in our specific workplace environment.” We’re thankful to receive such positive feedback, and look forward to the trainings to come!
PD for Lawrence The NAN Project is excited to take its first steps into the Lawrence Public School System! Last week, we provided our Professional Development workshop, Building Resilience in the Shadow of COVID, to over 200 educators and faculty serving Lawrence High School. Our team were described by participants as “honest, helpful, and succinct” while offering “great content and helpful strategies.” One educator shared learning “that we are not alone in what is happening with our students.” We couldn’t agree more! Thank you Nelson Butten, Caitlin Gilligan, and Principal Victor Caraballo for making this new partnership possible!
This spring, we’re excited to see our partner schools taking steps towards ‘normal,’ as many students return to their classrooms for the first time. As students, families, and educators reflect on a strange school year, and prepare for the fall, we know mental health will be on their minds – and The NAN Project will be there to start the conversation!