Social service agencies and health professionals in the Quad Cities are noticing more stressed and anxious junior and senior high school students and are hoping a new collaboration can tackle the issue.
Local agencies are forming a new Quad Cities Youth Wellness Coalition to address the physical and mental health of local youth. Organizers will hold a kickoff meeting on Monday, March 11, from 3:30-5 p.m. with a short program at 4 p.m. The kickoff, which is open to the public, will be at The Project of the Quad Cities, 4101 John Deere Road, Moline. Refreshments will be served.
In a news release announcing the coalition, the group reported that teens and young adults consistently feel the weight of school and familial stress, peer pressure, and concerns about today’s society. While poor mental health was reported throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC recently reported that 44% of high school students said they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year.
The kickoff meeting is an opportunity for Quad Cities parents, community members, and youth-serving organizations to collaborate to identify challenges facing local youth and to find strategies to improve the physical and mental health of young people.
The sponsoring agencies include: Bethany for Children & Families, The Martin Luther King Center and The Project.
