This month we continued to bring the critical teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) training to high school students in the region, and we completed a new training in the Berkshires of Massachusetts for the first time.
On March 5 we brought tMHFA to the Darrow School in New Lebanon, NY. Kaylin Martin, a student at the Darrow School, a former Youth Action Team Member and certified teen Mental Health First Aider, asked her school leadership to bring the training to Darrow. The Darrow students have expressed their appreciation for the value of the training and see its relevance to their lives. One graduate commented that "I learned the five steps to use to assist someone in a crisis, and to ask twice and directly if I think someone is considering suicide." Another graduate wrote that "I learned that through the darkest of things there is always light and someone to help you..."
In the Hudson Valley we continue our trainings at New Paltz, Saugerties, and Valley Central Schools this spring. We are in conversation with other schools and school districts to see if the program is a good fit for them.
Kaylin Martin shares a bit about the tMHFA training and why she wanted it brought to her school.
After the first the Heart of Gold Adventures trip to Nepal in 2018, a Board member suggested we find a way to offer course credit for the trip. After an extensive search, we were able to arrange with the University of California at San Diego Extension to offer an undergraduate course to our Youth Ambassadors. The course, listed as Anthropology 9006-Cultural Competency and Service Learning in Nepal, carries three undergraduate credits. The course began on February 19 and includes six face to face session in New Paltz, asynchronous work between sessions, and the two week trip to Nepal. Each student will be conducting field research in Nepal as part of the course, and presenting their findings in May. Mathew Swerdloff is teaching the course.
Listen to Owen Barrett share a bit about the three credit undergraduate course underway for the 2022 Youth Ambassadors.
The purpose of the Maya Gold Foundation is to Help Youth Thrive and we need the ongoing input of our Youth Action Team to accomplish this goal.
This spring a number of our longstanding Youth Action Team members will be graduating and moving on. We are therefore looking for new teens to join the Maya Gold Foundation's Youth Action Team.
We seek a diverse Youth Action Team and encourage all interested young people to apply!
Applications are open until May 15 with new terms beginning in June.
At our December meeting the Board of Directors agreed to hire a second Program Consultant to offer administrative and programming support for the Maya Gold Foundation. We are hiring this additional Program Consultant to assist in the implementation of Community Programming, New Partnerships, and Outreach Efforts. We seek someone with a passion for working with youth and expertise in working with others, public speaking, and strategic thinking.
We recognized the need for this part time assistance in order to continue to grow, secure additional revenue, and offer new programming. The position and application is online now; interested individuals may apply online HERE by March 25.
We are now rated as a Platinum Charity on the Candid (formerly Guidestar) platform.
Click the logo to find out more.
We have been awarded the "Top Rated Nonprofit" Designation by Great Nonprofits.
