I’m very excited to announce that May You Shine has been selected as one of the winners of the Social Enterprise and Innovation Competition sponsored by the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis (the top social work school in the country!), Skandalaris Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and The Mission Center, L3C! My project is one of the winners in the health category supported by the Missouri Foundation for Health.
I also have a first mock up of the mental health app I’ve been developing to empower young people by teaching healthy coping skills and providing tools to help them calm down when they’re in crisis. I’ve been working on the app with the help of Bandana Media Group, which has volunteered to create and host the app.
Our mission and goal is to reduce the number of suicides (the number one cause of death of teen girls) and promote good mental health by teaching healthy coping skills (something most people are not taught so many people turn to alcohol and drugs to cope and/or attempt or commit suicide).
Over the next few months I get to work with a Wash U. advisor and student. I will continue attending Wash U. social innovation classes, working on a business plan to create a self-sustaining organization and working with mental health professionals, young women and Bandana Media Group to further develop the design of the app.
The app itself will be free so anyone can get support with it. One of the ideas I’ve been working on for bringing in revenue to support the app is selling fun self-care packages parents can send to young women in high school and college with products that promote stress reduction and good self-care (like calming essential oil blends and candles and art therapy projects like coloring kits) with information on topics like self-care, self-esteem, body image, how to handle bullying, how to stand up for yourself, and how to help a friend who’s struggling and spot the warning signs for suicide.
I’m very excited about all that is unfolding and so thankful for all the support I’ve been receiving! Stay tuned!
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