From left, Susan Zabor, vice president clinical and provider management/chief quality officer for Schneck Medical Center, Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement’s Rebecca Mankowski and Todd Burkhardt; Healthy Jackson County’s Lindsay Sarver, Su Casa Indiana’s Nadia Herrera, Denny Spinner, executive director for Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement, and Stephanie Flinn, Schneck Foundation’s executive director, celebrate and hold the Art for Youth books, printed by Dickson’s Gifts and Printing in Seymour.
Submitted photo
Todd Burkhardt (IU-CRE) and Lindsay Sarver (Schneck/Healthy Jackson County) meet onstage to share the Art for Youth launch with the community during the recent Mental Health Fest.
Submitted photo
The Arts for Youth Project, launched in September at the Healthy Jackson County Mental Health Fest in Seymour, is an ongoing collaboration with Indiana University’s Center for Rural Engagement, the School of Social Work and several Healthy Jackson County Coalition partner organizations.
The project aims to develop an art-based kit to promote adolescent mental health across Indiana and will expand access to evidence-based art therapy activities and tangible art supplies to middle school youth in Jackson County and surrounding areas to address the youth mental health crisis, according to a news release.
The Arts for Youth Book is available in Spanish and English and is designed as a therapeutic guidebook to improve well-being through arts-based exercises infused with education, art and play therapy practices, as well as other wellness resources.
The art kit and book, valued at more than $100 each, is being provided free of charge to roughly 2,000 youth in Jackson County and nearby areas over the coming months through Healthy Jackson County coalition partners like local schools, pediatric clinics, after-school providers and faith communities. The book is designed for youth ages 11-14 and can be used individually or with support from adult family members, counselors, clinicians or teachers.
The project was inspired by the Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement’s Creative Arts for Vets (CAV) initiative, a collaboration with the Eskenazi Museum of Art and IU School of Social Work, which distributes therapeutic art workbooks to veterans nationwide.
Todd Burkhardt, the center’s director of campus partnerships, led the development of the CAV Book and provided guidance and support for the Arts for Youth Book.
“Art transcends. It doesn’t matter the population,” Burkhardt said. “There’s a lot of evidence to show that using art can help reduce feelings associated with anxiety, depression, stress, loneliness, substance use, trauma and suicidal ideation.”
Developed with input from IU School of Social Work associate professor John Keesler, the book aims to address the emotional impact of challenges teens face, including social media pressure, bullying, body image, gender identity and sexuality, relationships and mental health.
The Center for Rural Engagement welcomes opportunities to collaborate with other organizations across the state to increase the distribution of the Art for Youth books beyond Jackson County.
The Arts for Youth and Mental Health Fest were made possible through funding from the Jackson County Health Department, Schneck Medical Center, Schneck Foundation, Su Casa Indiana, Dickson’s Printing, the former Mental Health America Jackson County suicide prevention initiative, Jackson County Community Foundation, IN Department of Health, Indiana Arts Commission Region 9 and the National Endowment for the Arts. The personal contributions of art, focus group participation and written material involved the youth of Jackson County.
“As a mother of five, including two teens, I’m personally aware of the mental health challenges our youth are facing today,” says Lindsay Sarver, Healthy Jackson County Coalition member and Schneck Medical Center employee.
“Statistics and personal experience have showed us that our teens are experiencing a mental health crisis at an unprecedented rate, and we have to act now. I am so honored and proud to work with such a talented team that is working to make a difference in the mental health of our youth and using art to make these critical life skills accessible to teens.
“Art and creativity foster connection and cohesion, and transcend cultural, language and age barriers, making this a tool to connect to anyone in the community that is struggling to understand, express and regulate their emotions and mental health.”
Those who are interested in learning more about this project or how to obtain a copy may contact [email protected].