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This patch and all program supplies are available from our partner site MakingFriends®.com.
Suggested Group Activity
Make “America Let’s Do Lunch” empowerment tray favors to support mental wellness with positive messages. Place on Meals on Wheels trays to show seniors they are important and noticed!
Suggested Prerequisite
Completing the Companion Patch Program® is a suggested prerequisite for earning your Wellbeing Advocate Patch. Your volunteer experience will help provide you with the knowledge needed to advocate for improved wellbeing for the people in your community. You can also opt to complete the Companion Patch Program® requirements during the time you earn this patch.
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Requirement 1: Research It!
Things to find out:
- What do people need to be happy? Helpful Link: What Does It Take to Be Happy?
- What is good mental health? Helpful Link: What is good mental health?
- How do you know if someone might have poor mental health? Helpful Link: 5 Warning Signs of Mental Health Risk
- What causes mental illness? Helpful Link: Mental health problems – an introduction
- Does bullying lead to depression? Helpful Link: Childhood Bullying Can Have Lasting Effects on Mental Health
- How do you stand up to bullies? Helpful Link: Stand Up to Bullies.
- How can you help someone who is depressed? Helpful Link: Read This Before You Help Your Friend with Depression
- How is mental illness treated? Helpful Link: Mental Health Treatments
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Requirement 2: Do It!
Choose a wellness issue to advocate for. Some ideas:
- Pair up special needs kids with a school buddy.
- Get your friends together and send out Military Care Packages that include paracord survival bracelets.
- Support legislative action for better mental health care.
- Start an after school club to get others involved with increasing wellness for students at your school.
- Get your troop or group to make new mom care packages for homeless shelters.
- Start an anti-bully brigade to watch for bullying behaviors at school. Bullies are not so tough when confronted by a group.
- Set up a new student welcoming committee at your school.
- Make posters with information about resources for mental health issues.
- Advocate for your family to “adopt” a senior for Sunday dinners.
- Help transform the definition of wellness.
Who do you want to reach? Some ideas:
- Your Family
- Neighbors
- Politicians — Helpful link: How to Contact Your Elected Officials
- Classmates
- Your Fellow Worshipers
- Other Groups or Organizations
How will you reach them? Helpful link: How to Advocate for Your Cause
Some Ideas:
- Talk to them. Consider wearing a button as a conversation starter.
- Hand out flyers. Consider setting up a booth to collect donations if allowed.
- Hang tags on doors and mail boxes.
- Make posters.
- Reach out with social media such as Facebook.
- Send a press release to your local newspaper or school newspaper. Helpful link: How to write a press release.
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Requirement 3: Review It!
Always remember to thank those who helped with your advocacy program.
Ways to say Thank You:
- Personally thank individuals and businesses who helped. A hand written letter is always nice. Helpful Link: How to write a thank you letter.
- Thank the community as a whole with posters.
- Create a follow up press release and include the names of individuals and businesses who participated.
- Thank the community as a whole on social media.
- Give certificates of appreciation.
Discuss Your Advocacy Project
- Do you think your advocacy project helped to promote wellness in your community?
- Will you continue?
- What else can you do to further promote wellness?
Congratulations! You have earned the Wellbeing Advocate patch. It can be purchased at our partner site MakingFriends®.com.
You can become an Outreach Welfare Advocate by earning all 5 outreach advocate level patches.
Did completing this Patch Program® give you some ideas for becoming a Wellbeing Delegate?
See all our current Advocate level Patch Program®s:
Note: Many of the links provided to assist with completing our Patch Program®s are external and do not imply an endorsement or recommendation. At the time of publication, external content was vetted to the best of our ability. Your views and ideas may vary and we do not intend for you to substitute our opinions for yours. Research the topic thoroughly before beginning a project. As always, make sure children access the internet only under safe-surfing conditions.
©2019 youthsquad.makingfriends.com
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