The U.S. Surgeon General has called the mental health of our nation’s youth an “urgent public health crisis,” but mental health resources are scarce. We partner with the Manville and Bound Brook school districts to provide evidence-based mental health support to students through the Connections Program for middle schoolers and the Yellow Tulip Project for high schoolers.

Connections Program

The Connections Program serves 5th through 8th grade students in the Manville and Bound Brook school districts by providing support groups in school to address mental health and develop social-emotional learning. Summer programming is also available for youth identified as needing additional service.

Schools can refer youth individually to a specific group, allow groups to take place in full classrooms, or have a combination of the two. There will be various groups available that the school can choose from as options for their youth. 

The program is designed to:

• increase access to mental health groups and services to middle school students
• empower youth to deal more effectively with mental health issues
• foster well-being
• teach positive coping and emotional regulation skills
• prevent risky behaviors
• remove barriers to student success in school
• combat stigma surrounding mental health

The Connections Program is fully funded by the Somerset County Youth Services Commission through the NJ Juvenile Justice Commission.

The Yellow Tulip Project (YTP)

The mission of The Yellow Tulip Project is to smash stigma associated with mental illness and to build community to remind people that there is help and hope for those living with mental illness. We work to increase high school student awareness of mental health issues and empower them to educate their peers and community.

YTP brings students together to plant a HOPE Garden, build community, talk about mental health, and destigmatize mental illness in hopes of increasing the overall mental wellness of the school’s student body and school community, developing social-emotional learning, and creating hopeful and safe places to address mental wellness. Focused groups will be offered to students in YTP along with mental health workshops. There is also an opportunity for students to become Ambassadors, who are empowered to engage their schools and communities to smash the stigma associated with mental health. YTP meets year-round to continue their work on mental health issues. 

The program is designed to:

• increase high school student awareness of mental health issues
• empower youth to educate their peers and community
• combat stigma surrounding mental health
• create safe, hopeful places to discuss mental health
• teach positive coping and emotional regulation skills
• improve overall mental wellness of the school student body and community

The Yellow Tulip Project is fully funded by the Somerset County Youth Services Commission through the NJ Juvenile Justice Commission.