PACIFIC MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE
This outreach was pioneered by two members of Sprocket who believe that Sprocket shouldn't solely be about promoting the education of children and teens in STEM through CAD workshops or invention challenges but also promoting the mental well-being of engineering kids under stress and high-performance pressure. The few tragic incidents in FIRST related to mental health issues over the past years prove that this issue is not discussed enough and that mental health is still stigmatized.
THE IMPACT?
These mental health gift bags include handmade bracelets with motivating or humorous words written on them by fellow peers, origami also made by peers, stickers with breathing exercises and positive messages, a 988 Helpline Card, and finally, a short message about the purpose and origins of this initiative. Our volunteers were inspired from the heart to help make these bracelets, and at our first competition, we gave away over 100 bags out of the 200 total.
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We wanted to remind FIRST teens and kids that no matter what they're going through, we are more than just robots; we're also human. No matter how good of an engineer you are, you must put yourself and your emotions first. One bag could save a life, could prompt a struggling teen to call for help.
Contact
If you have any questions about the outreach or the initiative or have any contributions or suggestions, let us know!
Phone: 909-859-9998​