Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month withEducation, Advocacy & Kindness in Columbia Borough
Since 2021, Compass Mark has run the Leaders of Future Generations after-school program in Columbia Middle School – Taylor Campus. Fifth and sixth graders are chosen by teachers and counselors for showing leadership potential; they may be bold and outgoing or have quiet charisma. Students work as a team to choose and implement a service-learning project to benefit the school or community while developing skills as young leaders.
Mental Health Month Celebration
On May 16, 2025, this spring’s CMS Taylor cohort, the Mental Health Advocates, hosted a Mental Health Awareness Event to empower fellow students to both take care of themselves and support their peers. Chosen in honor of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, the event offered five stations that all middle-school students rotated through, learning how to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness, action steps to improve well-being, and where to go for help for themselves or others.
The Service Project
Compass Mark collaborated with Mental Health America of Lancaster County, which sent staff members to run the Personal Stories & Seeking Help and the Mental Health Awareness Game stations. Staff with personal experiences of mental health symptoms described their healing journeys, educated students on the types of mental health services available in Lancaster County, and played a game of Mental Health Simon Says, meant to deepen the young people’s understanding of living with a mental illness. [Read the LNP article]
Other stations included Suicide Awareness & Prevention; an Encouragement Card activity; and Yoga & Mindfulness. The Mental Health Advocates use the slogan, Strength in the Struggles, and chose this service-learning project based on the impact that loved ones’ mental health symptoms have had on them. They offer,
“Many students our age experience stress, anxiety, and other mental health challenges, yet they may not always know where to turn for help. Our goal is to make sure they know there are resources available, people who care, and healthy ways to cope.”
The Mental Health Advocates from Columbia Middle School – Taylor Campus
Students learn how mindfulness lowers stress levels.
Mental Health Simon Says teaches mindfulness skills.
Leaders of Future Generations
Leaders of Future Generations is a 12-week, after-school program facilitated in Columbia Borough School District by Vanessa Welker, director of after-school & community-based programs at Compass Mark. She says,
“This project matters to me—I believe our students are the change the world needs. By raising awareness about mental health, they’re not only learning—they’re leading with empathy and helping others feel seen, valued, and understood. I want these students to know that it’s okay not to be okay, and that acknowledging mental health struggles is a powerful act of courage and connection.”
Vanessa Welker, After-School & Community-Based Program Manager
How Prevention Works
Compass Mark’s programs prevent substance use in young people by lowering risk factors for this unhealthy behavior and increasing protective factors. The public health model of risk and protection adopted by all agencies funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Drug & Alcohol Programs has been studied and shown to have a positive impact on additional factors in young people’s lives, including depression and anxiety.
Closing the Gap Between Substance Use & Mental Health Services
Compass Mark’s 2023–2026 strategic plan includes “initiating partnerships and enhancing coordination with mental health service providers” in recognition of the close relationship between substance use and mental health disorders. Our goals include:
educating the public on the relationship between substance use and mental health symptoms
contributing to increased flow between the two service systems locally
increasing the ability of our student clients throughout Lancaster County to lesson or avoid mental health and substance use problems
Compass Mark is a non-profit organization that provides prevention services to over 10,000 individuals each year in Chester, Lancaster, and Lebanon Counties. Our mission is to prevent addiction through education, skill-building, and community mobilization.
