While mental health is something many people do not take seriously Miss Gaga knows all too well how important it is. She recently announced that her Born This Way Foundation would be looking to expand her current mental health program for teens and is still working to bring mental illness and issues in regards to light.
According to Gaga, starting in the Fall tMHFA or teen Mental Health First Aid will be adding twenty more high schools across the US to their ropes and working to help teens in more places. During the reveal of this Gaga brought students on stage from eight schools who had been through this program already and allowed them to share their thoughts. She noted that with teen Mental Health First Aid ‘we like to say, it’s okay to not be okay.’ She went on to say that she wants her organization and those helping with it to be the people who look at those in need and make them feel validated. While a mere twenty school increase, this is in no way a stopping point for the Star.
For those who have perhaps not heard of her foundation just yet some information listed in regards on the BTWF website is as follows:
“Born This Way looks forward, toward a future that supports the wellness of young people through an evidence-based approach that is fiercely kind, compassionate, accepting, and inclusive. We celebrate the individuality of those we serve and we revere the bravery it takes to reach out and start the conversation. Together we’re building a community that provides approachable resources, fosters genuine connection, and drives action.”
Being able to talk about their mental health and get the advice and guidance they need is a huge deal for these teens and allows them to learn how to come forward and express their concerns properly in life. The more open we allow them to be the more progress we can make in the world of mental health. Programs like this one Gaga is running help the world to better understand how we as human beings work and how we should care for one another. Expansions like this are more than capable of changing the world if done properly.
While many people do not consider talking about mental health to be ‘normal’ just yet, as the years pass the stigma is being removed and things are becoming much easier on everyone. Teens are seriously affected by mental illness and many struggle with their mental health whether they know how to address it or not. By helping these young people through these kinds of things we are all preventing and working against some of the most horrible situations.
Here in the US 1 in 5 teens suffers from a mental disorder that is considered to be severe enough to impact their daily life and many people never even report having issues at all. We as adults need to work to educate those younger than us on things like this and make sure that they are aware of the means of help that are available to them. To learn more about this interesting and beneficial program please take a peek at the video below. What do you think about all of this?