Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and Middle and High School Principals:

2nd Annual Mind Out Loud Virtual Student Mental Health Event: Boldly Discussing Mental Health and Inspiring Students to Live Authentic Lives

The California Department of Education (CDE) is pleased to partner with Wellness Together School Mental Health and the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) to co-sponsor the 2nd Annual Mind Out Loud (MOL) Virtual Student Mental Health Event. We invite you and your middle and high school students to participate in this free event Saturday, March 12, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The second MOL event will encourage middle and high school students from across California, the U.S., and around the world to hear from each other about mental health and wellness. Students will gain practical tools and resources to advocate for their peers on campus and learn about MOL’s Four Pillars of Mental Health: Personal Wellness, Suicide Prevention, Support for Marginalized Communities, and Awareness and Advocacy.

The free virtual event and ongoing MOL Student Rep Program offer students a chance to gain practical tools for mental health advocacy and suicide prevention, help eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health, and provide opportunities to collaborate on other youth-led initiatives across California.

Students planned, generated, and facilitated over two-thirds of the content from the inaugural MOL event. MOL gives students the opportunity to speak up for the mental health needs in their school communities.

Students’ voices are amplified through the partnership with SDCOE and Wellness Together School Mental Health, as is their ability to address the mental health needs in their school communities. The MOL event is a practical and powerful way for you to support and join them in advocating to express what is on their minds to bring about change.

For more information about involving your middle and high school students in the MOL 2022 event and the ongoing MOL Student Rep Program, please visit the MOL website at https://www.mindoutloud.org/.

If you have any questions regarding MOL, please contact Jeremiah Aja, Assistant Director, Wellness Together School Mental Health by email at jeremiah.aja@wellnesstogether.org or Rico Petrino, Education Programs Assistant, Office of School-Based Health Programs, by email at rpetrino@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Tony Thurmond
State Superintendent of Public Instruction

TT:mn