Born This Way Foundation

SUPPORT THE WELLNESS OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND EMPOWER THEM TO CREATE A KINDER AND BRAVER WORLD.

TEEN MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID (TMHFA): IN 2020 AND 2021, WHEN TEEN MENTAL HEALTH CRISES SOARED DUE TO THE DEATH, TRAGEDY AND ISOLATION STEMMING FROM THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC, THE PROGRAM CONTINUED TO EXPAND. BORN THIS WAY FOUNDATION PARTNERED WITH THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TO BRING TMHFA PROGRAMMING TO THE UNITED STATES. IN 2019, THIS PROGRAM BECAME THE FIRST IN THE UNITED STATES TO PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING TO HIGH-SCHOOLERS, GIVING YOUNG PEOPLE THE HANDS-ON PREPARATION THEY NEED TO SUPPORT PEERS WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH ISSUES LIKE ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, SUBSTANCE USE, EATING DISORDERS, OR CRISIS SUCH AS SUICIDE. IN 2020, DESPITE THE CHALLENGES OF THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC, THE PROGRAM CONTINUED TO EXPAND TO MORE SCHOOLS AND YOUTH-SERVING ORGANIZATIONS, REACHING A TOTAL OF OVER 200 SITES TRAINED IN TEEN MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID IN NEARLY EVERY STATE SINCE THE PROGRAM'S LAUNCH.

CHANNEL KINDNESS: IN KEEPING WITH THE PRIMARY MISSION OF BTWF, CHANNEL KINDNESS IS A FIRST OF ITS KIND PLATFORM AIMED AT COMBATING THE EXTRAORDINARY DAILY ONSLAUGHT OF NEGATIVE AND OFTEN BULLYING MESSAGES AND IMAGES ACROSS SOCIAL AND TRADITIONAL MEDIA. CREATED ENTIRELY BY YOUNG PEOPLE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, CHANNEL KINDNESS ENABLES YOUNG PEOPLE - VIA SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS AND TRAINING - TO CELEBRATE STORIES OF KINDNESS TAKING PLACE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. THROUGH THE STORIES OF MORE THAN 250 YOUTH AUTHORS, IS PAINTING A DIFFERENT PICTURE OF YOUNG PEOPLE, EMPOWERING A GENERATION TO TELL THEIR OWN STORY. THE YOUTH REPORTERS ARE PROVIDED WITH ONGOING TRAINING AND SUPPORT TO STRENGTHEN THEIR STORYTELLING SKILLS AND AMPLIFY THE POWER OF THEIR VOICES. THROUGH OUR PLATFORM AT WWW.CHANNELKINDNESS.ORG AND CORRESPONDING SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES, OUR CONTENT HAS BEEN SEEN BY WELL OVER SIX MILLION PEOPLE, AND IN SEPTEMBER 2020 WE RELEASED OUR FIRST BOOK, "CHANNEL KINDNESS: STORIES OF KINDNESS AND COMMUNITY."

DONORSCHOOSE.ORG PARTNERSHIP: A COLLABORATION WITH DONORSCHOOSE.ORG TO ENCOURAGE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS TO CREATE MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLNESS PROJECTS IN THEIR CLASSROOMS, AND TO PROVIDE MATCHING FUNDS TO BRING THESE IDEAS TO LIFE. IN TOTAL, 673 PROJECTS WERE FULLY FUNDED IN 405 SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, HELPING MORE THAN 72,000 STUDENTS AND SUPPORTING 489 TEACHERS.

BE THERE CERTIFICATE: FOUNDED BY JACK.ORG IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BORN THIS WAY FOUNDATION, THE BE THERE CERTIFICATE IS A FREE ONLINE MENTAL HEALTH COURSE, AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH, FRENCH, AND SPANISH, THAT OFFERS A SIMPLE, ACTIONABLE FRAMEWORK TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO RECOGNIZE WHEN SOMEONE MIGHT BE STRUGGLING, UNDERSTAND THEIR ROLE IN SUPPORTING THAT PERSON, AND LEARN HOW TO CONNECT THEM TO THE HELP THEY NEED AND DESERVE. THE BE THERE CERTIFICATE IS MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (AND ANYONE!).#BEKIND21:GROUNDED IN RESEARCH AROUND THE IMPORTANCE OF KINDNESS FOR YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH, BORN THIS WAY FOUNDATION LAUNCHED #BEKIND21 IN 2018 TO INVITE PARTICIPANTS TO PRACTICE AN ACT OF KINDNESS FOR THEMSELVES AND OTHERS EACH DAY FROM SEPTEMBER 1ST TO SEPTEMBER 21ST TO BUILD KINDER, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES THAT FOSTER MENTAL WELLNESS. AS OF OUR LAUNCH, #BEKIND21 HAS RECRUITED PARTICIPANTS AROUND THE WORLD WHO HAVE PLEDGED 290+ MILLION ACTS OF KINDNESS. PRIDE DONATION CAMPAIGN:FOR PRIDE IN 2021, BORN THIS WAY FOUNDATION COMMITTED TO AMPLIFYING LGBTQ+ EXPERIENCES AND PERSPECTIVES ON ALL OUR PLATFORMS, HIGHLIGHT AND SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT THEM, AND RAISE AWARENESS OF THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES LGBTQ+ YOUNG PEOPLE FACE AND THE WAYS WE CAN ALL HELP.