The School District of Beloit recently announced its upcoming event, “Breaking the Stigma of Mental Health,” to be held on Thursday, March 21, at Fruzen Middle School. Featured speakers at the event will include 7 Mindsets team members JoJuan Armour, a member of the Education Services Team, and Dr. Byron McClure, the company’s Director of Innovation. With the event, which is free and open to the public, the district hopes to highlight the alarming trends in youth mental health and provide and promote mental health education, services, and supports.
The full article announcing the event, originally published March 11, 2024, in the Beloit Daily News, is available below.
Mental Health to Be Discussed at Fruzen Middle School
By Clint Wolf |Beloit Daily News
Beloit, WI — The School District of Beloit will host a free event titled Breaking the Stigma on Mental Health from 6 — 8 p.m. Thursday, March 21 at Fruzen Middle School, 2600 Milwaukee Road.
In response to research showing that Wisconsin students have significant mental health needs, the School District of Beloit developed support systems and resources to address student mental health and well-being.
“We want to share with our community the resources and information available to help support children and teens and bring in keynote speakers to address the youth mental health crisis,” said Melissa Beavers, Executive Director of Pupil Services for the School District of Beloit. “The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction released statewide data in December 2022 that supports what many of us working in education already knew: Wisconsin students have significant mental health needs,” she continued.
The event is free and open to the public. Students in Grades 6 — 12 and their families are encouraged to attend.
JoJuan Armour, former NFL player and Education Consultant, and Dr. Byron McClure, a Psychologist and 7 Mindsets Director of Innovation, will be the speakers for the event.
Eric Weier, the district’s Director of Special Education and Student Services, shared that with the collaboration of 7 Mindsets, UW-Whitewater, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and with more than 30 community partners, the district hopes to highlight the alarming trends in youth mental health and provide and promote mental health education, services and supports.
“Planning for this event began about a year ago,” Weier said. “Our goal from the onset was to increase the frequency of community conversations and resource opportunities for family and community members to familiarize themselves with mental health resources, referral processes, and local providers.”
Survey and research data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction from students in Grades. 6 — 12 indicates 52.2% of students self-reported significant problems with anxiety. In addition, 33.7% reported feeling sad or hopeless daily for more than two weeks in a row. The School District of Beloit’s data mirrored the state’s findings, with 49% of students surveyed self-reported significant problems with anxiety, and 32% reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for more than two weeks in a row.
However, only 20% of students surveyed reported that they most or always get help when needed. “This statistic shows that an event like this is needed for students and their families in our community,” said Weier.
The event also will have more than 30 community partners and booths, as well as free food provided by Lil Frank’s BBQ. There also will be raffle prizes awarded.
Sponsors include the School District of Beloit, UW-Whitewater, 7 Mindsets and SAMSHA.
