The California Coalition for Youth (CCY) and the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD) are partnering to increase student access to mental health and crisis intervention resources.
MONTEREY, CA – As the school year begins for MPUSD, more than 4,500 7th through 12th grade students will be given new I.D. Cards with the California Youth Crisis Line’s phone number printed on the back, greatly increasing access to mental health and crisis counseling resources to MPUSD students.
The new addition to the student I.D. stems from the recent law, SB 972, that “…authorizes I.D. cards for middle and high school students to have local suicide prevention hotlines printed directly on the cards…” this also helped pave the way for a new partnership between CCY and MPUSD.
“We are thankful for [CCY’s] Youth Crisis Line. This direct resource provides an immediate avenue of support to assist young people in need” says Donnie Everett, Assistant Superintendent, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. “Social and emotional education and support is a priority for MPUSD… and the addition of the Youth Crisis hotline on the back of student I.D. cards this year provides an additional resource that students can access at any time.”
The California Youth Crisis Line, a program of CCY, is a statewide 24/7 year-round call, chat, and text hotline geared specifically for youth aged 12-24 and their families. Trained volunteer crisis counselors are there, around the clock, to take calls, texts, and online chats, to help youth and families navigate through any crises, weigh out options, and connect them to resources in their area.
“Access to supportive services can make a difference in a student’s resiliency through crises,” Jevon Wilkes, Executive Director of CCY, explains. “I know first hand the importance of supportive services in Middle and High School, after overcoming homelessness during both of those periods in my life.”
This is the first year that CCY has partnered with a school district to increase access and visibility of the California Youth Crisis Line.
“I’m excited to begin this new partnership with [MPUSD],” says Bianca Christian, Program Manager of the California Youth Crisis Line. “More importantly, I look forward to increasing our impact on communities we serve, especially in the Monterey Bay Peninsula.”
CCY is hopeful about the impact and opportunities that this new partnership will bring. with their next goal being to add their crisis line’s phone number to school I.Ds across the State of California.
“This partnership between [CCY] and [MPUSD] is an exciting opportunity,” says Wilkes. “We hope to create more of these opportunities with other School Districts, Community Colleges, and Universities throughout the state of California.”
For more information please contact CCY’s Executive Director, Jevon Wilkes, at jevon@calyouth.org or 916 514-4464 x101
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About CCY
Today’s Youth are faced with a myriad of complex and difficult issues and often lack an adequate support system to transition successfully into adulthood. In response, since 1986 The California Coalition for Youth (CCY) provides strong statewide policy leadership around issues concerning disconnected runaway and homeless youth.
About MPUSD
The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District encompasses the cities of Marina, Monterey, and Seaside, and the communities of communities of Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Monterey, Sand City and Seaside. The district has more than 10,000 students in grades transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. MPUSD has 11 elementary schools, one K-8 magnet school, three comprehensive high schools, and an alternative high school. It also is home to two early childhood education centers, an adult education school, and expanded learning opportunities (after school programs).