Wellness4Washtenaw

Wellness4Washtenaw

Project Theme: Mental Health
Years in Existence: 2
Target Audience and Location: Washtenaw International Middle Academy and Washtenaw International High School (WIMAHI) students in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Mission: To increase students’ knowledge of and access to mental health resources by strengthening relationships with mental health providers.

Project Description: Founding Scholar Dyuthi Aryasomayajula and educator scholar Dan Giddings created their project to address the impact the global mental health crisis had on students and wanted to create a system to alleviate the high population-to-provider ratio of 187:1. They built a student team that collaborates with the school’s social service team and club leaders to make referrals to staff, encourage peers to reach out for support, and provide monthly workshops for middle schoolers on various mental health topics. This year’s team, led by student Atharv Murthy, is working to engage more students and connect them to pre-existing mental health resources that exist on and off campus while building partnerships with local middle and elementary schools that share similar resources.