Bringing Hope to Our Youth!
Anxiety. Loneliness. Depression. Today’s youth are suffering from an epidemic of mental health disorders.
Wellness. Community. Hope. These are the antidotes that Middle Earth stepped in to provide to local children by launching a new prevention-based mental health program in the Bound Brook and Manville School Districts last school year. Check out the video to learn about the program!
As a nonprofit on the front lines of youth development, we are able to identify the most critical emerging needs of adolescents in Somerset County and then create programs that offer innovative solutions. Mental health is just one of many challenges that teens face, and your donation to Middle Earth can literally change the trajectory of a young life in a more positive direction. Please make a gift now to partner with us in our mission to help youth develop into responsible self-sufficient members of our community.
Middle Earth was able to address the mental health crisis among youth by establishing The Yellow Tulip Project (YTP) in two local high schools. YTP is a mental health awareness club that gives students a safe space to connect, express themselves, and bring hope. The club is designed to build community, teach healthy coping skills that students can use throughout their lives, and smash the stigma of mental illness.
One of the major projects of YTP was to create a tulip garden at each school. The students carefully tended the garden. It’s hard to describe the excitement they shared as the shoots began to push out of the soil this past Spring! As the tulips reached maturity, the garden reminded students that hope and healing can truly bloom when we support each other!
In addition to gardening, YTP students also gathered for fun activities and group discussions. The club explored mindfulness, teamwork and creative self-expression. The club activities – art projects, games, journaling, gratitude walls, yoga – were designed to encourage students to open up and support one another. They learned to self-regulate their feelings.
Our staff saw tremendous growth in the high school students they served. During the year, they noticed the participants become more: confident to be themselves, cooperative with their peers, enthusiastic to share positivity in their school, and empowered to advocate for themselves. It is through YOUR generosity that high schoolers are able to receive these messages of hope!
When we asked the students what they took away from their YTP experience, they said, “Beautiful things can grow from dark places.”
Just like the yellow tulips, YOU can offer local youth hope! Your donation will provide young people with services and caring adults that offer support, consistency, and a break from uncertainty, as well as lessons in vital skills youth need to cope, make positive choices, develop responsibility, and ultimately become successful adults.
There is no better investment than the next generation. Whether you are concerned about work readiness, afterschool care, college preparedness, community service, mentoring, or mental health wellness, with a personal donation, Middle Earth can help turn your passion into quality, impactful programs that guide our youth to bright and meaningful futures. By helping a young person achieve their full potential, our entire community benefits – we are stronger, safer, and more vibrant!
Over 90% of every dollar you donate goes directly to services provided to youth living in Somerset County.
Please consider becoming a monthly donor – put your impact on autopilot!
- $5 per month would pay the college application fee for a deserving senior.
- $25 per month would provide a month of activities and supplies at our Community Youth Centers.
