Bright Minds Foundation and Blossoms of Hope are partnering to address pressing challenges surrounding youth mental health and wellness in Howard County. Through the new partnership, both organizations are working collaboratively to empower teens to become mental health advocates and deliver classroom projects focused on student engagement and wellbeing.
Recognizing that HCPSS educators are incredible resources to address unique student and school needs, Bright Minds has offered annual teacher grants since 2009 to help HCPSS educators support student success, improve school communities, enhance teaching practices, and pilot innovative instructional projects. In recent years, Bright Minds has also worked with HCPSS to empower educators through “teacher externships”, which provide teachers with summer workplace learning experiences that strengthen teaching and bring increased relevance to student learning. Bright Minds’ collaboration with Blossoms of Hope will enable us to respond to pressing needs in our community and deliver creative solutions to youth mental health challenges through the teacher grant and teacher externship programs.
Bright Minds teacher grants are currently focused on classroom projects that will improve student achievement, engagement, and well-being. The special partnership with Blossoms of Hope will provide additional support for teacher grant projects focused on student mental health and wellbeing. Blossoms of Hope representatives will participate in the grant review process and work with Bright Minds’ community review team to identify 15-25 educators who will receive grants of $500-$2,000 for projects to be delivered during the 2024-2025 school year. Blossoms of Hope representatives will also join Bright Minds staff and board members to “surprise notify” teacher awardees at their schools in May.
“We all have a role to play in supporting youth mental health and creating a world where young people can thrive,” shared Bright Minds Executive Director Jennifer Van Kirk. “Bright Minds has been delighted to support HCPSS educators’ efforts to create more accessible, engaging, and inspiring experiences for students in our schools. We are thrilled to collaborate with Blossoms of Hope to expand support for educators.”
Blossoms of Hope will also host a summer 2024 teacher externship focused on planning a county-wide youth mental health summit that will coordinate and increase access to community resources related to youth mental health. Young people are stakeholders in their own health and wellbeing, and this first-ever event will seek to identify, connect, and empower youth to become mental health advocates. The event will target 8th to 11th grade students representing a cross section of schools, grade levels, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds. The summit will include strong support and involvement with the school system, hospital, and community organizations. The externship will include development of a detailed event planning guide, as well as an initial framework of training and resources for students. The Blossoms of Hope externship is made possible through a grant from the Kahlert Foundation, which has sponsored a “community externship” each year that the externship initiative has operated..
“Far too many young people in our community are struggling with their mental health and unable to get the support they need,” said Blossoms of Hope Executive Director Vera Simmons. “We recently launched Seeds of Hope to invest in the wellbeing of Howard County, foster community resilience, and address mental health challenges through education, awareness, collaboration, and support for local institutions. Our work with Bright Minds will enable us to make a real impact in our community.”
About Seeds of Hope a Blossoms of Hope Initiative
As an extension of Blossoms of Hope, an organization dedicated to rising to the occasion for our community, Seeds of Hope emerged in response to a crucial need—tackling the mental health epidemic among our youth. Seeds of Hope actively collaborates with schools, the hospital, and healthcare businesses to identify and address issues at their root, and get resources to our teachers and those who do all they can for our students by way of grants. By delving into the core of the challenges faced by our youth, we aim to implement preventive measures and provide the necessary support long before situations reach critical stages.
About Bright Minds Classroom Grants
Bright Minds has provided over $213,000 in grants to 140 teachers since 2009, and projects have reached more than 110,000 students in all county schools. Last year and with support from the Kahlert Foundation, Bright Minds awarded $25,064 in grants to fund 21 projects that are being delivered in more than 40 schools and reaching more than 4200 students this year. These grants significantly contribute to increasing teacher morale and retention by recognizing educators’ ideas and efforts, and by providing them with opportunities to deepen their skills and interests that can be shared with students. Read more about several teacher grants this year at brightmindsfoundation.org/news.
About Bright Minds Foundation
As the Howard County public schools education foundation, Bright Minds Foundation works to ensure each child in Howard County has access to the education, resources, and opportunities they need to succeed at school and in life. We do this by bringing together community support for programs and initiatives that increase education access, equity, and innovation. Bright Minds programs respond to the urgent and ongoing needs of children in four areas: digital inclusion, literacy & kindergarten readiness, college access, and teacher support & classroom innovation.
