The Maya Gold Foundation is pleased to announce their selection as a tMHFA site. Teen Mental Health First Aid, or tMHFA, is an evidence-based training program for students in grades 10-12 that teaches the skills to recognize and aid their friends experiencing mental health and substance abuse challenges and crises, including how to quickly get the help of an adult. The tMHFA program is designed to help teens help each other navigate the difficult waters of adolescence. We are honored to be the only site in the Hudson Valley and the Catskills to offer this valuable program. According to Mental Health First Aid USA, the program sponsor, “After the course, teens will be able to recognize early warning signs that a friend is developing a mental health or substance abuse issue.
Elise Gold, Mathew Swerdloff, and Jesse Sarubbi of The Maya Gold Foundation will lead the tMHFA training program for Hudson Valley teens. Elise and Mathew are co-founders of the Maya Gold Foundation, and parents of Maya Gold, who took her life in 2015 while in grade 10 at New Paltz High School. Jesse is a Masters Level Social Worker and a Board Member of the Maya Gold Foundation. “I am so pleased to be a part of bringing the many benefits of the teen Mental Health First Aid program to area schools. In our current mental health system, it often falls upon those experiencing mental health crises to seek out and ask for their own help. This is a heavy burden. This training empowers teens, and adults in unique positions to help, to recognize and act when other youth are in a mental health or substance use crisis. In addition, this program provides valuable information and resources to help teens bolster their own wellbeing, while also supporting their peers,” commented Jesse.
The Maya Gold Foundation plans to offer tMHFA training for teens beginning in the fall of 2020. The training sessions will be held in the Hudson Valley and Catskills with dates and modality of instruction to be determined.
Over fifteen teens came together across three time zones in a virtual "Global Teen Cultural Exchange" on July 27. Teens from Ghana, Nepal, NYC and the Hudson Valley of NY met on Zoom to share about their lives in their home countries, their work with their respective non-profits, and how they are managing during the pandemic. Each teen is part of a local non-profit serving youth in their home country. Each nonprofit prepared a brief slideshow about their work and their country, and then there was a robust discussion and time for questions.
One teen commented that, "I found it to be very interesting to hear from other people my age in different parts of the world. Looking around, it was amazing to see youth from different corners of the globe talking with one another. It was an amazing experience where I really felt connected to people across the world."
CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO WATCH THE RECORDING OF THE SESSION.
Our Youth Action Team members and Board members have been meeting this summer to continue our work, despite the pandemic. Ensuring the safety and comfort of our attendees is our priority, and our meetings have been held outside, with appropriate physical distancing and protocols in place to ensure that we are following recommended meeting guidelines.
Recently our Social Media and Community Outreach Committee, Nepal Committee, Community Programs Committee, and our Board Governance and Development Committee met to discuss upcoming programs and events. We are working hard to respond to the needs of teens in our community and adapt our programs to these challenging times.
We are now rated as a Platinum Charity on the Guidestar platform.
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We have been awarded the "Top Rated Nonprofit" Designation by Great Nonprofits.
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Why “ROCA”?
At Maya’s funeral, her friend Ana told a story.
We used the story as the inspiration for name of this newsletter.
Ana's story is below.
