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 L