66 | SEPTEMBER 26 • 2019 THEJEWISHNEWS.COM
Jews in the D
Fact-Finding Mission
UMatter Teens take to the road to learn
about mental health issues.
T
he UMatter Teen Fact-
Finding Mission, an
interactive, three-day
educational trip that took place
Aug. 12-14, provided Jewish
teenagers the chance to learn
the scope of the mental health
epidemic in their community.
The goals were to recog-
nize the problem,
spur the conversation
about mental health
and empower teens
to work together to
develop solutions.
The first day was
spent in Pontiac, hear-
ing from Common
Ground, the Youth
Suicide Prevention
Task Force of Oakland
County, Oakland
Community Health Network
and Oakland County Jail.
“Our last stop of the day
was Oakland County Jail,”
teen Ellie Friedman said.
“While it was certainly an
emotional and difficult expe-
rience for a lot of us, it was
necessary to see this often-for-
gotten aspect of mental health
before embarking on the next
two solution-focused days.”
On day two, the teens
traveled to Ann Arbor and
Ypsilanti where they learned
about Dawn Farm, the U-M
Depression Center, psychiatric
emergency services and Ele’
s
Place. While many area organi-
zations are working to increase
mental health care, Friedman
said, “there just aren’
t enough
spaces or resources to fully
meet the demand, which is an
important consideration for us
when we work on initiatives
this year.”
The teens were motivated
to take what they learned from
these organizations to help
increase the impact of their
own UMatter programming.
The last day was spent in
Southfield and Detroit visiting
Lighthouse/South Oakland
Shelter, Kadima and Wayne
State CHAMPS. After seeing
the root of the problem at
Oakland County Jail on day
one and seeing some options
for solutions on day two, hear-
ing from different residential
programs on day three opened
the teens’
eyes to the variety of
solutions that help address aea
mental health challenges.
Debby Suris attended the
UMatter Teen Fact Finding
Mission as her daughter’
s chap-
erone. She was moved by the
teens on this trip. “I was so
impressed by their intelligence,
curiosity and compassion,” she
said. “I was deeply impacted by
the teens that participated in
this mission, as I watched them
learn firsthand about serious
and tragic human issues.
“I also watched them realize
the enormous humanity that
exists in our communities to
change people’
s lives, and that
their own potential to make a
difference is infinite.”
Friendship Circle will
be offering a Parent Fact-
Finding Mission in 2020.
This trip was aided by
the Stephen H. Schulman
Millennium Fund.
AMANDA SMITH SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
COURTESY OF UMATTER
Teens hear from Oakland County Youth
Suicide Prevention Task Force.
36 Under 36
Nominations
Now Open
Do you know someone making an
impact in the community you can
nominate for this special honor?
Th
e Well, an organization building inclusive Jewish
community in Metro Detroit for the under-40 crowd,
and the Jewish News are once again partnering on “36
Under 36” to recognize doers, activists, entrepreneurs,
philanthropists, community organizers and other
young Jewish professionals reshaping and broadening
Metro Detroit’
s Jewish community.
“In short,” Rabbi Dan Horwitz of Th
e Well said,
“we are looking for the people who give of themselves
to the community in robust — and often thankless
— ways. In essence, the kinds of people we admire
and aspire to be, whose accomplishments we want to
celebrate and who we want the world to know make
their home in Metro Detroit.”
Nominations are due by
Oct. 30. A special group of
nine volunteer judges (none
of whom are affi
liated with
Th
e Well or the JN) will be
reviewing submissions and
choosing the 36 winners.
Honorees will receive free
three-year subscriptions to
the JN and be featured in a
February 2020 issue.
To nominate someone,
log on to tiny.cc/36under36.
thirty
six
UNDER
36
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