Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Youth Mental Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Peace Center tells Bucks County commissioners its programs address rising youth anxiety, bullying
Summary
The Peace Center described school- and community-based programs aimed at reducing bullying and supporting youth mental health, and commissioners were reminded the work remains urgent after a county elementary school student died the same morning.
Danny Thomas, a representative of the Peace Center, told the Bucks County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 22 that the organization provides a range of school- and community-based programs aimed at reducing conflict and improving social-emotional wellness.
"Building peace 1 person, 1 school, 1 community at a time," Thomas said, describing the group's focus on relationships and bridge-building in local schools and neighborhoods. He summarized programs the organization runs, including STAR (a bullying-prevention curriculum for second through fourth graders), Celebrating Me, Celebrating You (for fourth- and fifth-grade students), Girls Unlimited (conflict-resolution and empathy-building for middle-school girls), a program described as focused on boys and young men, and Thrive (life skills for high school students).
The Peace Center presentation emphasized local and national data on youth mental health and bullying, repeating the group's message that "children are more than numbers and data." Thomas said rates of depression and anxiety among children have increased since 2019 and cited rises in suicide attempts among teenage girls and boys as part of the national context he used to justify prevention work.
A county commissioner, speaking without a name recorded in the transcript, told the meeting the commissioners had been informed that morning of an elementary school student in Bucks County who completed suicide. The commissioner said that reality underscored the necessity of the Peace Center's work and reminded viewers that help is available via the 988 suicide-prevention line.
Connie Keener, introduced by Thomas as a Peace Center board member, also addressed the commission briefly in support of the organization's work.
The Peace Center asked residents and county leaders to notice local program offerings and contact the organization for more information. Thomas and Keener encouraged people to visit the Peace Center's website and said information about adult and youth programming is available there.
The presentation occurred during the commissioners' regular meeting and did not include a vote or formal action by the board. Commissioners thanked the presenters and moved on to public comments and the rest of the agenda.
