Outcome Report

Outcomes

The outcomes show the clear benefits and impact of our work, aligned with the needs we identified.

MaCES StudentsBuild Mission Statement

The mission of the MaCES StudentsBuild team is to bring mental health awareness to our school, community, and beyond. We’re doing this through three main efforts: creating a “May is Mental Health Awareness Month” virtual assembly, meeting with civic leaders to advocate for mental health support, and partnering with community members to educate and inform others.

Mental health continues to affect students across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023), more than 1 in 3 high school students experienced ongoing feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the past year. Even with numbers like this, mental health is still often ignored, especially in the Latino community. As one advocate explained, “In many Latino families, mental health is not openly discussed. It’s often seen as a private issue or even a weakness, instead of something that deserves care and attention.”

Top Achievements

One of our biggest achievements was meeting with the Mayor of Maywood and building support with SanaMente and Each Mind Matters. 

In past years, we also helped get official proclamations passed declaring May as Mental Health Awareness Month in both Maywood and Cudahy. This matters because it brings real attention to mental health and reminds leaders to keep it in mind when making decisions.

We also had "side quests" during the year. We felt it was important to not only bring awareness, but to also take action in taking care of our mental health. This included voter registration and promotion of literacy. Mental health awareness, student empowerment, and knowledge are key in bringing change in the community. 

Evidence (Use of Data)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023):

• 42% of high school students reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless


• 22% seriously considered suicide


• 10% attempted suicide


These issues are even more common among students of color, LGBTQ+ youth, and students from low-income communities.

In 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Children’s Hospital Association declared a national emergency in youth mental health.

At MaCES (30 students surveyed):

• 20 students said they’ve talked about mental health with their families
(Increase of 80 percent from last year)

• 23 students know there is a Psychiatric Social Worker on campus


• 30 students know there is a Calming Room on campus


Short-Term Outcomes

• 1,000 students watched our virtual mental health assembly


• 75 staff members wore our mental health awareness t-shirt


• The Mayor shared our video with City Council members to encourage mental health awareness in decision-making


In past years, proclamations in Maywood and Cudahy helped bring awareness and show official support for our cause. Previously, we also supported Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights in expanding their own mental health awareness efforts.

Evidence of Impact

Media and Outreach:

• Virtual Assembly
 linked HERE

• Instagram: @girls_build_wolfpack


Quantitative Data:

• 1,100 students and teachers participated by watching our event


• Events included meeting with the Mayor of Maywood, a Virtual Assembly, and the StudentBuild Summit


Supporters:

• Los Angeles Dodgers


• Disney


• City of Maywood


• City of Cudahy


• SanaMente


• Each Mind Matters


Mentors:

• Mayor of Maywood


Reflection

One important lesson we learned this year is how valuable it is to involve every member of our team, not just the leaders. We made a stronger effort to recruit students across different grade levels, where our seniors shared their knowledge and guided younger students.

It was also a great experience continuing our work with local leaders in Maywood, as well as connecting with representatives from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Disney. Creating our virtual mental health assembly was especially powerful, and based on feedback, we improved it by making it shorter and more engaging.

One of the most impactful moments was seeing staff across campus wear the mental health t-shirts we created. It turned them into visible advocates and reminded students that support systems are available and that mental health matters. With support from SanaMente and Each Mind Matters, we were also able to distribute materials like ribbons, pamphlets, stickers, and wristbands to spread awareness.

We did face challenges, some students stepped away from the project, but others showed up and stepped up in ways we didn’t expect, which showed people believe in the cause.

More than anything, we didn’t just learn about mental health, we learned about student empowerment. Moving forward, we want to keep building on this by increasing collaboration, involving more students, and expanding our reach to more communities so we can continue making a meaningful impact.

Final Budget

We used all funds as originally budgeted, linked HERE.