1 Project Safety Net for the well-being of Palo Altos youth

2 PSN Mission Our mission is to develop and implement an effective, comprehensive community-based mental health plan for overall youth well- being in Palo Alto. The plan includes education, prevention and intervention strategies that together provide a Safety Net for youth and teens in Palo Alto, and defines our community's teen suicide prevention efforts.

3 Project Safety Net Members/Partners Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS)Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Cal Train Palo Alto Medical Foundation Center for Sustainable ChangePalo Alto University Chamber of Commerce Parent Representatives Children's Health CouncilParks and Recreation Commission City Community Services Dept.PAUSD City Manager's Office Peninsula Interfaith Action City Police Dept. Project Corner Stone Community Center for Health and WellnessPTA Council Health Care Alliance for Adolescent Depression (HEARD) Santa Clara County Health Dept. Human Relations CommissionSuicide Prevention Advocates Kara - Grief Support & EducationYMCA Leaders of the Faith CommunityYouth and Teen Leadership Groups Local Psychologists Youth Community Services (YCS)

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Search Institute - Developmental Assets - Five Community Action Steps 5 A more intentional community network fostering youth well-being in Palo Alto

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7 Outcomes An engaged and activated community focused on fostering youth well- being! Adoption of the 41 Developmental Assets (City & PAUSD) Suicide Prevention Policies Adopted (City & PAUSD) Elevated Youth Voice Track Security Decreasing the stigma of mental health Hundreds of suicide prevention gatekeepers trained Media Partnership Non-Profit partners leveraging PSN collaboration for new funding Enhanced counseling opportunities for students Palo Alto High School - later start and block schedule All secondary schools have active School Climate Committees New and stronger relationships between agencies and committees supporting youth well-being

8 PSN - Strategic Next Steps: PSN Mission clarity – transition from crisis response to sustainable social change for the well-being of youth Clarity on priorities, timelines and metrics of pre-stated PSN goals Organizational structure of PSN, protocols for decision making, number of committees and how they intersect. Organizational design to be mindful of limited District and City resources A defined fiscal agent Funding sources for PSN coordination and related programs and services A communications plan for PSN to keep the community informed on progress and how they can get involved A blueprint (or case study) for how a municipality can organize a grassroots effort for suicide prevention and support the social and emotional well-being of youth

9 Sampling of Programmatic Next Steps for PSN: Developmental Assets Initiative Peer to peer counseling program - Sources of Strength Gatekeeper training for teens Leverage social media Intramural sports for high school students Palo Alto Youth Forum Greater collaboration with Stanford's Challenge Success Strengthen collaboration with private schools Community education to decrease the stigma surrounding mental health

10 PSN Executive Committee Amy Drolette (Co-Chair) PAUSD Rob de Geus (Co-Chair) City Community Services Ken Dueker City Police Department Greg Hermann City Managers Office Minka van der Zwaag City Community Services Roni J. Gillenson Adolescent Counseling Services Vic Ojakian Suicide Prevention Advocate Cyndy Ainsworth Kara Grief Counseling Shashank V. Joshi, MD Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital Becky Beacom Palo Alto Medical Foundation Pat Markevitch Parent Representative Terry Godfrey PTA Council Teen Representatives Palo Alto Youth Council