Two in three teens feel their schools should teach about what mental health is, according to NAMI’s 2022 polling. But right now, educators aren’t always equipped to help students learn about mental health, recognize warning signs of mental health conditions, and know where to get help.
We know that young people want more information about mental health. We also know that getting help early can make all the difference. To help close the knowledge gap, NAMI supports adding mental health literacy education to school curriculum requirements.
That’s why NAMI partnered with experts at the University of Texas at Austin and University of Oregon to create FLARE by NAMI. FLARE by NAMI stands for Flexible Learning for Adolescent Resiliency Education and is a mental health literacy curriculum for middle school students. The FLARE curriculum consists of 23 lessons that educators can mix-and-match to best suit their middle school students’ needs and their state’s education requirements.
What Is Mental Health Literacy Curriculum?
Mental health literacy is important for everyone because it teaches crucial information about mental health conditions. It’s especially important for young people to learn. When we’re equipped with information and knowledge, we know when to ask for help and how to get it.
Mental health literacy teaches how to foster and maintain positive mental health, common mental health conditions and their treatments, how to seek help effectively, and what mental health stigma is and how to reduce it.
A mental health curriculum, like FLARE by NAMI, empowers individuals and communities to support mental health care proactively. Supporting a mental health curriculum in our children’s schools means they will know how to get help when they need it.
I think it was helpful because it explained mental conditions for what they really are, not something everyone assumes they are. It also gives you a much better understanding of how mental conditions affect someone’s life.
8th grade student
NAMI believes teaching youth and young adults about mental health conditions and how to find care is critical. We hope that schools across the United States will add FLARE by NAMI to their middle school curriculum. If you believe mental health literacy is important for young people, join us!
Reach out to your local NAMI to find out how you can join their advocacy efforts for FLARE by NAMI today! Click below to learn more about the FLARE by NAMI curriculum.