“So, it was kind of a two-part mission: the first part, to reduce any feelings of isolation that students might experience from being at an online school.”
Amber Johnson is a social worker at Great Lakes Learning Academy, an online public school. She’s also the founder of Link Up Groups, where students can join online peer groups based on specific mental health needs, such as anxiety, depression, or just hanging out.
“And also to meet a need, whether the need is providing education and equipping students with social skills or helping students learn and practice social skills.”
According to the CDC, 40% of high schoolers experience persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness and, of those, over half aren’t receiving school-based support. Link Up Groups, which launched in January, aims to fill that gap. It currently has 11 participants and is getting positive feedback from students, parents and teachers.
“I think it’s also helpful to have a little bit smaller of a group in the beginning so students can kind of feel it out and not feel super anxious about being in a larger group setting.”
Link Up Groups will soon be introduced to the academy’s middle school.
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