As the new school year kicks off, many classrooms are starting on a positive note, thanks to a generous initiative by Selena Gomez’s charity, the Rare Impact Fund, and Google’s philanthropic arm. This week, Gomez and Google.org announced a $10 million Teen Mental Health Initiative aimed at supporting mental health projects in high schools across the country.
The initiative will directly fund mental health-related projects created by high school teachers through DonorsChoose, a popular classroom crowdfunding platform. This significant investment is expected to benefit around 1 million high school students and 10,000 educators, providing much-needed resources to address mental health in schools.
Gomez, who has been a passionate advocate for mental health for years, highlighted the importance of this initiative in a blog post for Google.org. “As young people find their way through the world, it’s crucial that they get guidance in building healthy, positive, and productive mental health habits,” she wrote. “Few people are in a better position to help do this than teachers.”
The core idea behind this initiative is both simple and powerful: by empowering teachers, we can better support students. As Alix Guerrier, CEO of DonorsChoose, emphasized, “Mental well-being and academic achievement are inextricably tied.” Recent research by DonorsChoose revealed that over 70% of public school teachers are concerned about their students’ mental health, underscoring the need for such initiatives.
This collaboration between Selena Gomez, Google, and DonorsChoose is a significant step forward in addressing the mental health needs of teens in schools, ensuring that students have the support they need to thrive both academically and personally.
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