School District of Philadelphia and Kooth Kick off Summer Wellness Campaign for Students
The School District of Philadelphia and Kooth, an international leader in online youth mental health, officially kicked off a new Summer Wellness Campaign for students. This competition encourages students to continue caring for their mental health and well-being throughout the summer months.
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Kooth to provide students with more consistent access to mental health services,” said Tony B. Watlington, Sr., Ed.D., Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia. “Improving and supporting students’ well-being is one of the priority areas of the District’s new five-year strategic plan, Accelerate Philly. Collaborative partnerships like this help us provide these opportunities and access for our students.”
Schools earn points for each new individual registration, completed activities and ongoing usage. The school with the most student engagement throughout the summer will receive a visit in the Fall from Kooth ambassador and Philadelphia Eagle Lane Johnson.
As the first player in the league to take a leave of absence from the season due to mental health challenges, Johnson has been an outspoken advocate for improving access to mental health support and is excited to join Kooth on this mission.
“I am thrilled to be working with Kooth on this important initiative,” said Johnson. “Mental health should never be ignored or stigmatized, and I’m looking forward to helping create positive change among our kids.”
In November 2022, Kooth was awarded a $3 million grant from the state to run a pilot program for 11 to 18 year olds in Pennsylvania.
In February, the District kicked off a new partnership with Kooth, an online mental health and well-being platform designed to provide access to personalized, digital mental health and well-being resources. Since then, hundreds of Philadelphia students have accessed the online counseling, used the peer-to-peer support features, shared the digital resources and more. This partnership with Lane Johnson will bring further awareness around mental health and provide additional support for young people in the community of Philadelphia and across the state of Pennsylvania.