In its 2017 World Health Day message, the World Health Organization said that the rising suicide trend can be drastically reduced by understanding depression to be a preventable and treatable ailment. The Peer Leadership & Depression Prevention (PLDP) program delivers that understanding; numerical outcomes are measured by pre- and post surveys to document:
– Knowledge increase
– Negative Attitude decrease
– improved Confidence in Help-Seeking
A proven wellness resource for communities, PLDP program is delivered through Rotary clubs around the world and, often, its Interact teen group. You may elect to translate slides and handouts into the local language; versions to date include English, Spanish, Hindi, Kannada, and Marathi. The teens co-facilitate the curriculum with adults; they complete the same training as adults through the Boston Children’s Hospital on-demand resource called Break Free From Depression. There is no cost for the training nor the curriculum materials so the launch can be as simple as completing this training, downloading the curriculum and creating a local referral protocol. Where a clinician is not available in your community for the referral protocol, that need can be addressed through a district or global Rotary grant.
The newest global grant implementation is PLDP-Nigeria, led by the Rotary Club of Ibadan Idi Ishin. It was started through the Rotarian Action Group on Mental Health Initiatives and clubs in two Rotary districts, 9125 and 7910. Eight schools have trained faculty, parents and 1,824 students.
Questions? Contact Bob Anthony (telephone 781-727-8617 or email BobAnthony@AdolescentWellness.org). He is Treasurer for the Rotarian Action Group on Mental Health Initiatives.
Related materials developed with Interact members:
– Interact tri-fold
– article with outcomes from the USA, Puerto Rico and India
– PLDP Procedure Manual details a global grant implementation
Here are a pair of clips exchanged by the teens. Interact members from Wellesley sent clips addressing stress; an examples follows:
The second clip is a response from teens in India:
The overall Interact PLDP program is explained by Nicole in this clip:
Ramnath Siddi summarizes the goals of the PLDP program:
Interact teens leverage creativity to normalize the conversation beyond the curriculum content; pictured is their art display in Belmont, MA.
