A group of students from Justin Garza High School is set to present their mental health awareness project, the Buddy Box, at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) California Conference this week. Their initiative aims to help younger students manage emotions, reduce stress, and promote conversations about mental health.
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The Buddy Box is filled with various sensory and stress-relief items, such as fidget toys and crayons. Harjot Kaur, Co-President of the NAMI Club, emphasized the project's intention to be accessible and enjoyable for younger students. "So in this Buddy Box, we have different types of stress toys or just sensory toys overall," Kaur explained.
Created by the NAMI Club at Justin Garza High School, the Buddy Boxes are part of a broader outreach strategy targeting elementary school students. Club members regularly visit local elementary schools to discuss emotional well-being and the importance of expressing feelings, leaving a Buddy Box in each classroom after their visits.
"We want it to be fun for them. We don't want them to think of it as something so serious," Kaur noted. Each Buddy Box also contains resource materials in English and Spanish to aid teachers in supporting their students.
The project gained recognition at NAMI California's annual conference after being selected from around 200 applications. Justin Garza High School was one of only two high school groups chosen to present their work.
Paul Mirmingos, the club's advisor, highlighted the interest of conference organizers in how students are effectively introducing mental health education in elementary settings. "It just goes to show how much hard work that they put in, and how dedicated they've been to the club on campus and growing the club," Mirmingos remarked.
During the conference, the students will present their projects to both youth attendees and mental health professionals, showcasing their work and discussing mental health initiatives at their school. Co-President Aleaha Musto expressed hope that attendees will gain insights on supporting children's mental health at an early age. "I'm really hoping they take away just how to improve mental health in younger people because not many people go that low before mental health occurs," Musto stated.
The students will travel to Anaheim for the presentation, which spans two days before they return home. School leaders view this opportunity as recognition of the students' efforts and a chance to share a locally developed program with educators and mental health advocates across California.