At the end of November, Federation officially launched our BeWell Youth Mental Health Initiative, following nearly a year of close collaboration with our subsidiary agency the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE) and our primary human services partner Jewish Community Services of South Florida (JCS).

Nearly 60 people representing 23 local organizations attended the kickoff, where the group worked together to address the youth mental health crisis. Under the leadership of Elise Scheck Bonwitt, as well as the critical involvement of Dr. Edith Shiro and Carly Orshan, the group unveiled the results of a Federation-commissioned youth mental health survey and came up with a number of recommendations our community can implement to address this national epidemic. We also unveiled a new Youth Mental Health helpline — available by phone or text message — that will be advertised in private areas (such as bathroom stalls) at all 10 Federation-funded Jewish day schools, along with synagogues, JCCs and other places frequented by teens and young adults. Together, we look forward to providing our community’s youth, their parents and professionals who work with them, the tools and resources to support their mental well-being.