A free, fun-filled community event for the whole family
4-H UNITY (Urban Neighborhood Improved Through Youth) Endicott hosted a free, fun-filled, mental health and well-being event, for the whole family, U Matter Fest, Thursday, July 21 at the West Endicott Park.
Recognizing the many challenges and struggles that young people faced during the pandemic, the 4-H UNITY Endicott Teen Leaders, all students at Union-Endicott High School, decided they wanted to help their community and made mental wellness a priority.
With the support of their 4-H UNITY program leaders from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County, Asia Ambler and Kelly Mabee, the Teen Leaders worked with local mental health organizations and professionals to learn more about healthy coping skills and mental health wellness.
In addition, all the UNITY Teen Leaders completed Be There training and certification. Be There was developed by Jack.org in partnership with the Born This Way Foundation. Be There is designed to increase mental health literacy and provide youth with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to safely support anyone who may be struggling with their mental health.
After completing their training, the Teen Leaders developed U Matter, a workshop designed to promote positive mental health and well-being among young people, and then conducted their workshop at Jennie F. Snapp Middle School, Endicott. All the middle schoolers who completed UNITY’s U Matter workshop received a copy of Be Kind to Your Mind, an activity and coloring book, also created by the UNITY Teen Leaders. The activity book is designed to raise awareness about the importance of good mental health and provide young people with a healthy outlet for social-emotional well-being.
4-H UNITY is part of the Children, Youth and Families At-Risk (CYFAR) Program, supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, New York State 4-H and Cornell University.
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