32 July 25 • 2019 jn We Need to Talk … and Listen, Too Federation launches podcast as latest channel of communication in youth mental health program. T he power of talking about mental health … just think about how often it starts with a single con- versation: between parents and their children, between teens and their peers, between teachers and health profession- als. Think about having those conver- sations; stop and listen; see how voices can raise awareness and change minds at home, in school and in the social landscape of a community. WE NEED TO TALK So, let’s talk … about peer pressure and the anxieties we see in our students. Let’ s talk about helicopter parenting. Let’ s talk about the use and abuse of social media. Let’ s talk about resiliency and finding support networks. What started as the Youth Mental Health Initiative in Jewish Detroit is a vibrant communitywide program today. We Need to Talk, sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, grew out of a community “needs assessment” survey in 2016 revealing an alarming prevalence of mental health issues among the youth in the Jewish community. In 2018, Federation launched We Need to Talk — a website — with videos and links to resources as a first step: to reduce stigma, to raise awareness about youth mental health, and to provide ready access to resources for those in need of care. A portal for storytelling and insights shared by teens, parents and family members, teachers and mental health professionals — the website (wn2t. org) has recently expanded its video library to include easy-listening and browsing in podcast. Tune in and join Todd Krieger, senior planning director at the Jewish Federation, as he and guests explore some of the hottest topics of the day, underscoring reasons for youth mental illness. In the first nine episodes in the series, Krieger is joined by Julie Fisher, an educator with more than 25 years of experience working with parents and students around the country on topics related to 21st-century relationships and youth mental health. Fisher is the author of The Resiliency Puzzle, a handbook for understanding how kids can develop the skills they need to cope with adversity and persevere to gain character and fortitude to succeed. In future podcasts, Krieger will be joined by other experts and community members who will share their personal stories, providing insights and tools for young people and their families struggling to achieve mental well-being. While some segments will cover topics in brief, others are expected to be more in-depth profiles and conversations. WHY A PODCAST? Krieger explains: “During our conver- sations with agency executives — and in keeping with our promise to deliver programs and tools most beneficial to the agencies — we learned that many parents were seeking helpful informa- tion in short chunks. In particular, in those precious few minutes in a busy day when parents might be waiting to pick up their children at school or other activities, there are opportunities for teaching moments — spaces for listen- ing and learning, finding a piece of the puzzle or a tool that is useful to better understand the complex challenges that our kids face today. ” AMBASSADORS FOR MENTAL HEALTH “We see our role as advocates for our kids and ambassadors for reducing the stigma still associated with youth mental illness, ” says Dr. Lilly Jacobson, a clinical psychologist in private prac- tice at Children’ s Hospital of Michigan and chair of Federation’ s Youth Mental Health Advisory Committee. “We Need to Talk is our community call to action. Our goal is to educate the community about current mental health issues and the warning signs of mental illness, and to reach young people (and those who love and influence them) with positive messages of self-worth. ” To date, We Need to Talk has touched the lives of hundreds of families in Jewish Detroit. In collaboration with Friendship Circle’ s UMatter, Jewish Family Service, Jewish day schools, BBYO and Tamarack Camps — and with the generous support of the com- munity — the program has launched: • “FRED Talks” — parlor meetings for parents • Community-wide events including an evening with best-selling author Frank Bruni (Where You Go is Not Who You’ ll Be) and Julie Lythcott- Haims (How to Raise an Adult) • Suicide prevention training (safeTALK) and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) for more than 600 professionals who work with youth in the community • Additional staffing and resources for existing mental health programs at Tamarack Camps and Jewish Family Service. There’ s so much more to learn, so let’ s keep talking … visit the website, watch, listen … and stay tuned. ■ Vivian Henoch writes for myjewishdetroit.org, where this story first appeared. jews d in the VIVIAN HENOCH SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS TOP: Educator Julie Fisher joins Todd Krieger for the first nine podcasts. BOTTOM: We Need to Talk events, such as “How to Raise an Adult” with Julie Lythcott- Haims, have touched the lives of hundreds of families in Jewish Detroit. JOHN HARDWICK Today’ s Jewish Teens Value Heritage, Culture The largest study ever on American Jewish teens paints a picture of a cohort that simultaneously embraces family, Jewish culture and friends, while also grappling with anxiety and pressure to succeed — in a world per- meated by social media and constant communication. Researched and written by the Jewish Education Project and Rosov Consulting, the survey results were culled from interview responses from 17,576 teens. The report is filled with findings covering a range of areas. On family: Jewish teens like their parents and value their perspec- tives. Teens enjoy spending time with their family and often look to their parents to help them make sense of the world. On contemporary challenges: Teens in the study believe adoles- cents need help with social-emotional issues. They named coping with anx- iety, academic pressure, self-esteem issues and failure as the biggest needs of their peers. Jewish teens see positives and neg- atives to social media. Teens acknowl- edge that social media can cause them stress, but many also believe it helps cope with stress, connect with friends and organize for change. On religious practice: Americans increasingly describe themselves as having “no religion.” But even many “no religion” teens — a sizeable minority in the study — are inter- ested in engaging with Judaism at certain points in their life. Moreover, the majority of engaged teens who responded to the survey unequivocal- ly identify as Jewish and also report belief in God. Teens feel Jewish culture is something to celebrate and most commonly use the word “culture” to express what it means to be Jewish. Many of the teens interviewed report anti-Semitic experiences but do not feel personally threatened or see anti-Semitism as a primary lens to understand their life experience. Teens from the study are interested in Israel and believe that as Jews they have a special connection to the land and country. They want to ask trusted adults questions about Israel, and most teens who have not traveled there yet hope to do so one day.