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Santa Barbara Education Foundation receives $90,000 for teen suicide prevention

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Santa Barbara Education Foundation
The Women's Fund of Santa Barbara granted the Santa Barbara Education Foundation a $90,000 award to use to prevent teen suicide in the school district.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Santa Barbara Education Foundation announced it was awarded $90,000 from the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara to combat teen suicide.

Teen suicide is one of the most devastating outcomes of depression and mental illness. It claims over 6,000 lives each year and stands as one of the leading causes of death among teens.

The Santa Barbara Unified School District reported seeing improved mental health within its students which it attributes to health and counseling services.

Despite this, 12% of students between grades 7 and 12 at SBUSD schools still report considering suicide in the past year.

Fortunately, the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara is working to give out over $500,000 in grants every year to specifically address the needs of women, children and families in the Santa Barbara County.

The Santa Barbara Education Foundation was this year's recipient of a $90,000 grant award.

The foundation said it plans to use this money to bring its Sources of Strength suicide prevention program to all three high schools within the SB Unified School District.

"This strength-based wellness program has proven to be successful in reducing suicide, bullying, substance abuse, and violence in schools," the Education Foundation said in a news release. "The program aims to change school culture and social norms by implementing peer leaders and strength messaging. It will be integrated with the existing Youth Wellness Connection Clubs and work to promote community bonding, peer-adult connections, and help-seeking behaviors."

With Sources of Strength present in Santa Barbara high schools, the District expects students to become more open about mental health and to reach out to peers and teachers for help when they need it.

The Santa Barbara Education Foundation currently supports Santa Barbara's public education system. It serves 22 schools and a total of over 15,000 students.

For more information, you can visit the Santa Barbara Education Foundation website.

Article Topic Follows: Santa Barbara - South County

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Jessica Brest

Jessica Brest is a digital journalist and assignment editor for NewsChannel 3-12. To learn more about Jessica, click here.

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