Rooted in fostering healthy lifestyles, the Turn 2 Foundation, Inc. created Turn 2 Us in 2001 as a collaborative effort with New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Public School 128M of Washington Heights. Turn 2 Us is a school-based mental health promotion and prevention program that serves several elementary schools throughout the year. The program promotes mental health and academic success in youth and aims to support the mental wellbeing of the entire school community. Turn 2 Us aims to raise awareness of the importance of mental health even in the absence of mental health conditions and decrease the stigma associated with mental health. Since the inception of the program, Turn 2 Us has expanded to nine additional elementary schools and has served more than 30,000 students, school staff and families in Northern Manhattan and beyond.
Programs
School Staff
Turn 2 Us provides a Mental Health Literacy intervention that consists of tailored workshops/trainings provided to all school staff, including but not limited to teachers, administrators and paraprofessionals. The workshops cover a wide range of topics including trauma informed care, common school aged mental health disorders and self-care strategies. In addition, the Turn 2 Us staff are available for consultations if teachers have any concerns about students or need additional strategies.
Students
Turn 2 Us provides a series of universal workshops that aim to support and enhance their social-emotional development. Turn 2 Us provides programming for all students through a holistic approach and includes but is not limited to, stress management techniques, anti-bullying education, healthy lifestyle practices that promote well-being and academic success, goal setting & attainment, and confidence & self-esteem boosting strategies.
In addition to universal workshops, Turn 2 Us offers additional support for students whose symptoms or behaviors may indicate that they are at risk of developing a mental health disorder. Teachers who receive mental health literacy training at the beginning of the academic year can refer students by completing a standardized Turn 2 Us recommendation form. The league aims to decrease mental health symptomatology and enhance their social-emotional development. Students create goals at the start of the season that focus on areas for improvement within the classroom. Throughout the season there is ongoing communication between the program staff, students, classroom teachers and coaches to discuss students' progress and areas for additional support. In addition, Turn 2 Us offers 12-week social-emotional development skills-building groups known as intervention tracks, facilitated by program staff during recess.
Caregivers
Similarly to school staff, Turn 2 Us values the importance of increasing mental health awareness in households so they are best equipped to ensure our youths' progress emotionally, socially and academically. Through a series of workshops designed specifically for parents and caregivers, Turn 2 Us focuses on several topics, including but not limited to, symptoms and treatment options, destigmatizing, mental health issues and effective stress management tools.
Highlights
In October of 2017, Derek and the Turn 2 Foundation, Inc. were honored for their 16-year partnership with NewYork-Presbyterian in Washington Heights. School administrators, students and their parents joined Derek, Sharlee, NewYork-Presbyterian executive vice president and chief operating officer Dr. Laura L. Forese and Dr. Evelyn Montañez, in a special ceremony to celebrate the anniversary.