Welcome to the GFF newsletter, “From the perch”. So many wonderful things are happening and although our plans and vision are evolving, we thought we would update our community in our first newsletter!
Firstly, we would like to express our gratitude to all of our family, friends, and volunteers who have continued to support us during these challenging times. Your generosity and dedication have allowed us to feel loved and supported as we try to honor the memory of our sweet Owen, while helping others in our community.
The GFF mission is to shine the light on the importance of mental wellness and empower our young people to lead the change. Since sharing Owen’s story, we have had a tremendous amount of interest from teens, mentors, coaches, teachers, counselors, therapists, physicians, and parents in joining our team.
The response to hearing Owen’s story in various settings has been rewarding. We have been pleased to hear from teens that by simply hearing Owen’s story, they have felt less alone and more comfortable asking for help. Sharing Owen’s story has helped to destigmatize the discussion of mental health and we are looking for other venues and groups to continue the message. As the rates of depression and anxiety rise with the ubiquitous use of cellphones and access to misinformation and disinformation, finding reliable unbiased information has been a challenge for today’s teens.
The GFF approach is one of positivity and empowerment. We aim to arm our young people with knowledge and coping skills to deal with the inevitable ups and downs of life and know when to ask for help. We also aim to highlight the importance of social connectedness and thereby our meetings and activities will be “unplugged”, without devices.
We hope we can count on you, in joining our cause to helping our youth live healthier lives.
