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Parks department reports early results from teen mental-health pilot at summer camp
Summary
Parks staff reported two weeks of a teen camp pilot integrating a Youth Mental Health Corps, with six teens and six corps members participating in journaling, mood tracking and breathing exercises; baseline and exit self-reports will measure outcomes ahead of a possible fall rollout tied to grant funding.
Staff updated the Parks Advisory Board on a pilot that integrates the Youth Mental Health Corps into a teen summer camp.
Interim director Becca Niles and staff described the pilot structure: the camp runs Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with two-hour mental-health sessions on three days a week. The pilot included six campers (one girl, five boys) ages 12–15 and six Youth Mental Health Corps members who led activities including journaling, mood tracking, yoga and breathing techniques.
Staff said campers completed a baseline self-report assessment covering five domains — decision-making, social awareness, emotional regulation, confidence and a fifth domain the presenter could not recall by name in the moment — and will complete the same tool at the program’s end, with additional qualitative exit questions. "We'll have some more data points and that gives us a chance to maybe make some adjustments before we hopefully roll this out in the fall," staff said.
Board members asked about community partners and promotion; staff said initial enrollment came from longstanding adventure-camp families and the pilot’s wider promotion depends in part on receiving a grant (referred to as the Americanore grant).
Why it matters: The pilot represents a locally run effort to combine recreation programming with mental-health supports for teens and to generate measurable data before broader implementation.
What’s next: Staff will gather end-of-program assessments, review results and consider expansion in the fall if funding is secured.
