Project Safety Net
for the well-being of Palo Alto’s youth
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PSN Mission
Our mission is to develop and implement an
effective, comprehensive community-based
mental health plan for overall youth wellbeing in Palo Alto.
The plan includes education, prevention and
intervention strategies that together provide a
Safety Net for youth and teens in Palo Alto,
and defines our community's teen suicide
prevention efforts.
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Project Safety Net Members/Partners
Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS)
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
Cal Train
Palo Alto Medical Foundation
Center for Sustainable Change
Palo Alto University
Chamber of Commerce
Parent Representatives
Children's Health Council
Parks and Recreation Commission
City Community Services Dept.
PAUSD
City Manager's Office
Peninsula Interfaith Action
City Police Dept.
Project Corner Stone
Community Center for Health and Wellness
PTA Council
Health Care Alliance for Adolescent
Depression (HEARD)
Santa Clara County Health Dept.
Human Relations Commission
Suicide Prevention Advocates
Kara - Grief Support & Education
YMCA
Leaders of the Faith Community
Youth and Teen Leadership Groups
Local Psychologists
Youth Community Services (YCS)
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A more intentional community network
fostering youth well-being in Palo Alto
Search Institute - Developmental Assets Five Community Action Steps
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www.PSNPaloAlto.org
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Outcomes
An engaged and activated community focused on fostering youth wellbeing!
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Adoption of the 41 Developmental Assets (City & PAUSD)
Suicide Prevention Policies Adopted (City & PAUSD)
Elevated Youth Voice
Track Security
Decreasing the stigma of mental health
Hundreds of suicide prevention gatekeepers trained
Media Partnership
Non-Profit partners leveraging PSN collaboration for new funding
Enhanced counseling opportunities for students
Palo Alto High School - later start and block schedule
All secondary schools have active School Climate Committees
New and stronger relationships between agencies and committees
supporting youth well-being
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PSN - Strategic Next Steps:
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PSN Mission clarity – transition from crisis response to sustainable social change
for the well-being of youth
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Clarity on priorities, timelines and metrics of pre-stated PSN goals
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Organizational structure of PSN, protocols for decision making, number of
committees and how they intersect. Organizational design to be mindful of limited
District and City resources
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A defined fiscal agent
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Funding sources for PSN coordination and related programs and services
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A communications plan for PSN to keep the community informed on progress and
how they can get involved
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A blueprint (or case study) for how a municipality can organize a grassroots effort
for suicide prevention and support the social and emotional well-being of youth
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Sampling of Programmatic Next Steps for
PSN:
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Developmental Assets Initiative
Peer to peer counseling program - Sources of
Strength
Gatekeeper training for teens
Leverage social media
Intramural sports for high school students
Palo Alto Youth Forum
Greater collaboration with Stanford's Challenge
Success
Strengthen collaboration with private schools
Community education to decrease the stigma
surrounding mental health
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PSN Executive Committee
Amy Drolette (Co-Chair)
PAUSD
Rob de Geus (Co-Chair)
City Community Services
Ken Dueker
City Police Department
Greg Hermann
City Managers Office
Minka van der Zwaag
City Community Services
Roni J. Gillenson
Adolescent Counseling Services
Vic Ojakian
Suicide Prevention Advocate
Cyndy Ainsworth
Kara Grief Counseling
Shashank V. Joshi, MD
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
Becky Beacom
Palo Alto Medical Foundation
Pat Markevitch
Parent Representative
Terry Godfrey
PTA Council
Teen Representatives
Palo Alto Youth Council
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