Breaking down barriers
A recent U.S. Surgeon General report indicates that mental health challenges were the leading cause of disability and poor life outcomes in young people, with up to 1 in 5 children ages 3 to 17 in the U.S. having a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder. Students suffering from these conditions face significant barriers to learning and are less likely to graduate from high school. The Infinite Campus Foundation seeks to fund innovative programs and services which break down these barriers to student achievement.
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Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy“Mental health challenges in children, adolescents, and young adults are real and widespread. Even before the pandemic, an alarming number of young people struggled with feelings of helplessness, depression, and thoughts of suicide — and rates have increased over the past decade.”
The Infinite Campus Foundation Projects
Behavioral Health Network
Congratulations to the Minnesota Prevention and Recovery Alliance (MnPRA) for being selected to lead a pilot program that addresses mental health and addiction issues in Anoka County. While our intent is to eventually create a statewide system, we have decided to launch this initiative with a local, three-phase pilot. Starting in Anoka County will allow us to closely collaborate with providers, maximize consumer awareness and reduce cost. If successful, we will create a plan to scale the platform statewide in partnership with the appropriate state agencies.
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Pilot Summary: Finding the right service provider is key to behavioral health recovery. The goal of this project is to create an online resource that connects those in need of behavioral health services with the provider most appropriate for them. More than a directory, the platform will provide computer-driven recommendations, consumer reviews and live support.
Thank you to all the organizations that applied for the Infinite Campus Foundation Mental Health and Addiction Network prize. We wish all applicants continued success in helping address mental health and addiction issues in our communities.
Canvas Health: EMDR
Canvas Health’s school-based mental health therapists reach diverse and underserved populations of youth who otherwise could not get to or obtain therapy services in the community. Many of these children have untreated and undiagnosed trauma resulting in depression, anxiety, self-injurious behaviors, suicidal thoughts and attempts, dissociation, academic and school failure, and disrupted family lives.
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Infinite Campus’ grant will allow one of these school-based therapists to be trained on an evidence-based treatment called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. EMDR can quickly and drastically decrease trauma symptoms and increased attention, academic success and quality of life. It is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain. It is often viewed as more effective that talk-therapy at getting at and treating trauma symptoms on multi-levels: emotional, cognitive, somatic/body memory. EMDR does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue and therefore is effective with adults, children, and children who are traditionally more closed off or nonverbal in therapy.
Having more school-based therapists trained in EMDR therapy will benefit children, families, teachers, and school communities.
Canvas Health: iPads
Canvas Health’s psychological services team received funding from the Infinite Campus Foundation for new iPads to aid in diagnostic testing for a variety of mental illnesses, from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder to Bipolar Disorder. An early and proper diagnosis can change the trajectory of an individual’s life and treatment plan.
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Lee Carlson Center
Lee Carlson Center is a nonprofit mental health agency located in Anoka County that provides affordable clinical mental health services to people ages 6 months to end of life. The majority of those served are youth. They provide therapy and skills work to individuals, families, parents, and groups to help people overcome mental health concerns. They have therapists located in school districts who provide embedded mental health services to students, parenting services to parents, and trainings to teachers and staff.
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These services treat mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, trauma response, difficulty adjusting to change, and any mental health condition that someone may be struggling to overcome. They also connect youth and families with any outside resources that they may need, by having strong relationships with the county, school districts, and other agencies that support youth.
Operation No Limits
The Operation No Limits' (ONL) mission is to enhance the lives of at-risk youth through education, support, encouragement, positive experiences, life and social skills development, and advocacy. ONL works with youth ages 9-18 and grades 3-12 to prepare them for re-entry into our communities with new skills, new direction, and the knowledge and resources they need to succeed and be a positive member of their community. Their programs and service-learning activities educate at-risk youth in the areas of life, social, technical and trade skills. A recent Infinite Campus Foundation donation was intended to help ONL reach their goals of not only impacting the individual, but through knowledge and resources, preparing individuals with tools to assist family, friends, and the community at large, promote resilience, stability, and psycho-social health.
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PACER Center
The Infinite Campus Foundation is proud to have donated to the PACER Center to provide educators with resource kits that will teach both children and young adults with and without disabilities a skill that will help them be successful in all areas of life. These kits will provide educator lesson plans for health class, physical education, and social studies to provide kids and teens with the groundwork to develop the lifelong skill of advocating for themselves and others. Advocacy for self and others is a “social emotional skill set” that can be leveraged in bullying situations, education needs, health needs, and social interactions.
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Sukoon Healing of the Minds
Sukoon Healing of the Minds is a nonprofit organization formed with the purpose of bridging the gap in providing culturally informed resources and mental health services to Minnesota's diverse communities. They envision a Minnesota where culturally competent holistic healing is accessible to all. Centering BIPOC community narratives and contexts, Sukoon brings a unique community approach centered on empowerment through education and awareness in all three branches of its programming - the Sukoon Helpline, Connect Clinic, as well as Education & Training.
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