Belmont Wellness Coalition
Back to School 2023
About BWC
BWC Leadership Team:
BWC Program Coordinator
Coalition Chair
BWC Program Assistant
BWC is a program of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network.
UPCOMING Fall 2023 Programming:
What: Vaping - A Community Forum
Who: BWC and Kevin Hill, MD
When: Monday, Oct. 23, 2023 at 7:00 PM
Where: CMS Community Room
What: Belmont High School Back-To-School Night - Social Host Liability and Substance Misuse Prevention
Who: BWC Leadership
When: Wednesday, September 20, 2023 at 6:00 PM
Where: BHS
YRBS Data Highlights: The BWC will be presenting several presentations this fall which will offer 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey highlights (Locations & Times TBD)
Welcome to Lucia Sullivan, Interim Assistant Superintendent
As we said goodbye to Janice Darias, Assistant Superintendent, we welcome Lucia Sullivan stepping into the role of Interim Assistant Superintendent. Below is an excerpt from Ms. Sullivan's introduction to the community.
"It is a pleasure to officially introduce myself to the Belmont Schools Community. I am delighted to be serving as your Interim Assistant Superintendent for this upcoming school year.
As a resident of Belmont and a parent in the Belmont Schools myself, I have a great appreciation for the work that is done here every day. In fact, a large part of why our family chose to leave California was to bring our children back to the Belmont Public Schools. I know firsthand the incredible work that is done to create community, make learning fun and support as well as challenge every student. I also know that this is a district that wants to be actively anti-racist and ensure that every child feels a deep sense of belonging. In large part, that is what drew me to this role."
BWC looks forward to working with Ms. Sullivan to support the health and wellbeing of our Belmont Youth!
Student Mental Health Advocates (SMHA)
The 2022-2023 school year brought new leadership to both BWC and BHS Student Mental Health Advocates (previously Student Ambassadors). Brittany King, BHS Guidance Counselor, joined as the Student Mental Health Advocates Staff Liaison, and Maeve Kennelly, Prevention Specialist for BWC, has worked closely with students to increase visibility and bolster membership of this program.
Parenting Group
BWC's Parenting Group meets monthly and offers parents a safe and supportive place to explore, discuss, and share strategies on parenting tweens/teens. Lisa and Maeve facilitate the group, and offer guidance and resources related to each month's topic.
This year, parents chose to focus on the following topics:
Vaping
Bullying: Upstander vs. Bystander Behavior
Setting healthy boundaries with children and teens
Supporting autonomy and sense of self in children and teens
What parents of uprising grade 7 and 8 youth can expect at the new location with guest Karla Koza (School Department Director of Reconfiguration)
How to encourage kids to eschew screens and socialize in person
NEXT Parenting Group: Wed., Sept. 27 at 7:00 PM
New members are always welcome! Please reach out to us if you would like more information (contact info below).
Workshops and Events (from the past year)
1. In October (2022), the Belmont Wellness Coalition and Watertown Youth Coalition hosted a Narcan Training with Lt. Dan Unsworth of the Watertown Police Department. Lt. Unsworth discussed the importance of Narcan’s availability in communities and instructed participants on how and when to administer.
2. Also in October (2022), the BWC collaborated with the Belmont Public Library to present: Understanding Tween Mental Health. Maeve and Lisa presented to Belmont community members typical vs. concerning behaviors in tweens, how to normalize talking about mental health with children and tweens, and how to support children who are struggling with mental health.
3. In March (2023), we hosted a workshop (in partnership with The NAN Project) entitled: Suicide Prevention: Know your FACTS. BWC was joined by members of The NAN Project to present a workshop exploring suicidal ideation.
4. This past May (2023), the BWC presented Social Host Liability Law and Substance Misuse to BHS Seniors and Parents. Lisa and Wendy provided guidance on the Social Host Liability law, how to talk with kids about substances, and how kids can avoid using substances.
5. Teen Mental Health First Aid Training. In conjunction with the Waltham, Brookline, and Watertown communities, also in May, Belmont Wellness Coalition facilitated a Teen Mental Health First Aid Training for high school students in grades 10-12. This three day training covered common signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges, the signs of mental health crisis such as suicide, the impact of school violence and bullying on mental health, how to open a conversation about mental illnesses and substance use with friends and how to seek the help of a responsible adult. Students who participated earned a certification as well as community service hours.
Other BWC Events (from the past year)
One Love, One Belmont - In March (2023), BWC participated in this community wide event to show support for community organizations and to encourage civic engagement. The spirit of the afternoon centered on creating a more welcoming town.
Belmont Pride March and Celebration - In June (2023), BWC joined together with other community organizations for a celebration of Pride Month 2023.
Working with The NAN Project
Last fall, BWC partnered with a fellow non-profit organization, The NAN Project. The NAN Project works to spread mental health and suicide awareness and education to youth, educators, and community members. BWC and Belmont Public Schools were fortunate enough to work with The Nan Project on several occasions. In March, they presented “Suicide Prevention: Know Your FACTS” to the Belmont community as well as executing two professional development sessions for staff at BPS:
Mental Health 101: Mental Health in the Classroom
- Typical v Troubled: Teenage Development
Media Center Videos
Lisa creates bi-monthly, prevention-centered educational video segments with Mike Crowley, and Matt Simonelli from the Belmont Media Center.
Highlights from this past year’s video segments include:
The Impact of Sleep on Teens' Mental Health
Coping with Holiday Blues
Managing Screen Time
Understanding the Teen Mental Health Crisis
Fentanyl: What Parents Need to Know
Social Host Liability Law
How to Prepare your Child to Launch
All videos can be found here.
Tip Sheets
The BWC offers Tip Sheets on various topics, e.g., Mental Health; Sex, Gender, Identity; Teen Alcohol and other Drug Use; Guidance for Parents of Trans and Non-Binary Kids; and, we created two new Tip Sheets this year, including:
Other BWC curated tip sheets can be found here.
If you, or someone you know, wants to be involved with the Belmont Wellness Coalition, please reach out to us!
Email:
Maeve Kennelly, LSW maeve_kennelly@waysideyouth.org
Lisa Gibalerio, MPH lisa_gibalerio@waysideyouth.org
and please check out our website for lots of helpful resources: belmontwellness.org