Outcomes
“Mental health challenges in children, adolescents, and young adults are real and widespread…the future of wellbeing of our country depends on how we support and invest in the next generation.”
-U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy 2021
The skills students gain in Discover You™ create a preventative foundation that acts as a tier-one and tier-two mental health solution.
Suicide: second leading cause of death in ages 10-341
Studies suggest that higher levels of hope and optimism are associated with lower levels of suicide ideation2
Depression: afflicts one in eight adolescents and young adults3
Studies report resilience is a protective factor for mental health conditions4
Research reveals developmental assets, the positive supports and strengths young people need, have a strong influence on adolescent behavior.5
65% of adolescents report binge drinking6
The more assets a young person has the less likely they are to engage in high risk-taking behavior.7
Drop out rates for 16-24 years old are as high as 56%8
Increased developmental assets promote thriving behavior including succeeding in school, valuing diversity, helping others, overcoming adversity9
Evidence demonstrates an education promoting (SEL) yields positive results for students, adults, and school communities. 10
Bullying: 71% of teens reported bullied. 95% report having seen meanness or cruelty toward others.11
Social and emotional learning helps prevent bullying12
Gangs: 14%-30% of adolescents join gangs at some point13
Students in schools with implemented SEL programs had improvement in identifying emotions, perspective taking and conflict resolution. Schools report fewer conduct problems, less aggression and decreased violence.14
Student teacher relationships play a critical role in student motivation and learning.
Middle school students who reported high levels of development relationships with teachers were 8 times more likely
to stick with challenging tasks , enjoy working hard, and know it is okay to make mistakes when learning when
compared with student with low levels of student-teacher relationships.15
Through participation in Discover You™
Teachers have observed:
- Positive behavior change
- Improved attitudes
- Change in discipline issues
- Student to student interaction
- Secondary benefits of increased academic performance
Students report:
- Learning self-control
- Better ways to communicate
- Valuing themselves
References
1. Center for Disease Control
2. National Library of Medicine
3. National Institutes of Health
4. Mayo Clinic
5. The Search Institute™
6. National Survey on Drug Use and Health
7. The Search Institute™
8. Various Sources
9. The Search Institute™
10. Collaborative for Social and Emotional Learning
11. The Megan Meier Foundation
12. Stopbullying.gov Education Board | Center for Disease Control
13. Office of Justice Programs
14. Durlak and Colleagues
15. The Search Institute™