Name: Cydney Klass
Social Justice Group: 2022-2023, Mental Health and Teens (Covid, Access to Mental Health Care/Health Care)
Date of Fieldwork: February 1, 2023
Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):The Jed Foundation
Type of Fieldwork: Interview
What I did and what I learned about my topic, activism, social justice work or civil and human rights work from this fieldwork?:
On February 1st, 2023, our group met with Rebecca Benghiat, who is the president and CEO of the JED Foundation. In our interview she told us about the history of the JED foundation, and how it was founded after the founders’ son died by suicide because he was struggling with learning disorders and other mental health issues, and didn’t have access to the care that he needed. The JED foundation was founded to help schools think about what kind of systems they can put in place to help kids who are struggling. This stood out to me because our school has a lot of ways to help, like Ty, our school psychologist. Rebecca went to law school to get the practice, and during her time there she started a non-profit in reproductive health, which led her to her passion for mental health, and to work at the JED foundation.
She told us about how the JED foundation works with companies like Netflix, Disney, Hulu, so that younger people can see things that they can relate to. She talked to us about how they help schools by examining there policies, the paperwork that helps them deal with students who are struggling with mental health, they survey students, and teachers. And then they analyze all of that information, and then make recommendations. They also help the schools to find the help that they need. She also told us about how in times like with COVID the suicide rates go down because people are more focused about short term like how am i safe today, but then when things calm down rates sky rocket because the problem comes back to the front of your mind again. This shocked me because personally COVID is for the most part what made me realize that I was struggling with mental health issues. But I guess it would be different for people who already knew they were struggling before.
