The Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Vivek Murthy, in April, described the increasing mental health needs of the nation's young people as the "defining public health crisis of our time." Murthy pointed to a range of stressors impacting teens and children including rising exposure to gun violence and trauma, lingering impact from the effects of the pandemic and social media.
The Surgeon General traveled to Cleveland that same month and heard Mayor Justin Bibb's plans to support the mental health of the city's youth. The mayor's plans include expanded access to mental health help in schools as a strategy. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District has in place its own Rapid Response Team that works to provide support and help whether that assistance be needed by an individual, group or school-wide. The district developed the team in the early 1990s.
We begin Wednesday’s, “Sound of Ideas” talking to the founding executive director of the team and Ideastream Public Media education reporter, Conor Morris.
Later in the hour, we turn our attention to the latest episode of or podcast, “Living for We.” Over the past few months the podcast has been exploring livability issues raised by a study that ranked Cleveland last for outcomes for Black women. Bloomberg CityLab reported on the study in 2020.
The podcast has touched on topics from education to healthcare to the workforce. This week, “Living for We” turns its attention to love and relationships and how the search for that connection can impact how Black women feel about the city. The podcast is hosted by Ideastream Public Media’s Director of Engaged Journalism, Marlene Harris-Taylor.
Guests:
Bill Stencil, Fmr. Executive Director, Humanware/SEL Department, Cleveland Metropolitan School District
Conor Morris, Education Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
Marlene Harris-Taylor, Podcast Executive Producer & Host, Director of Engaged Journalism, Ideastream Public Media
Moná Scott, Judge, Cleveland Housing Court
Chinenye Nkemere, Co-founder, Enlightened Solutions
Angela Neal-Barnett, Ph.D., Psychologist
