Doc Wayne Youth Services, Inc.

• Our youth mental health programs have impacted one million youth in 32 countries

• 1714 coaches, teachers, clinicians and youth development professionals trained globally

• 283 partner organizations & collaborators

Read all about this exciting milestone: https://bit.ly/3V9cXKS

One World, One Team - Doc Wayne Modal Box modal- Click here to edit the “modal-box” settings. This text is only for editing and will not appear after you publish the changes. Preview modal- We’re Celebrating 1,000,000 Youth Impacted Around the Globe! Read More About Our Impact Here! Donate Today We’re here to level the pla...

Pride Month may be over, but we celebrate supporting LGBTQIA+ youth year-round. Our newest free mental health resource helps coaches and other youth leaders create safe spaces and open lines of communication on and off of the field or court. https://bit.ly/49338mq

Mental health is health, and finding ways to regularly support our mental health is essential for all of us, including our favorite athletes.

Save the date! Our next free, self-paced training, Creating LGBTQ+ Affirming Athletic Spaces, as program partners of
starts August 5! Join our LGBTQ-identified youth development professionals and learn concrete ways to proactively create LGBTQ-affirming athletic spaces.

In a recent The New York Times Times opinion piece, U S Surgeon General Vivek Murthy renewed his call for warning labels on social media, sharing the following concern about its connection with the ongoing youth mental health crisis.

"The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor."

As an organization with extensive experience in the youth mental health space, Doc Wayne Youth Services understands the concerns surrounding social media for young people; our clinicians have seen firsthand the harm these platforms can inflict. We have heard from parents and caregivers who were not brought up in the age of social media that they feel helpless and alone in the face of toxic content and hidden harms. While we can offer guidance for parents, including delaying and monitoring kids' social media, ensuring it is used under supervision, and discussing the downsides of popular platforms, resolving this issue should not be on the shoulders of parents and guardians alone.

If social media is here to stay, there is a need for systemic change. This can be achieved through education to bridge the gap for both young people and their caregivers not only on the hazards of social media but the positive uses as well, and that they have choices available. Our experience with youth development shows us that removing or restricting things they are engaged in doesn't typically yield answers. What if society, including engineers, software designers, influencers, legislators, mental health experts, educators, and families, worked together to find productive ways to build better platforms that are safer and more positive?

"Faced with high levels of car-accident-related deaths in the mid- to late 20th century, lawmakers successfully demanded seatbelts, airbags, crash testing and a host of other measures that ultimately made cars safer."

Just as cars were redesigned to be safer and more productive, social media platforms and the way they are used have the potential to make them safer places to interact.

Doc Wayne centers on a skills-based approach and advocates teaching young people skills for managing aspects of life. If social media is a risk factor that is being elevated in terms of concern approaching the public safety issue of seat belts, then we need to not only work toward systemic change, but we also need to consider teaching all young people how to safely use it.

Help is available! There are a number of mental health resources focused specifically on supporting members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Reach out if you need support or share with a friend who might be in need.

On this day in 1865, troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to emancipate enslaved African Americans and to end slavery in the United States. Today, we reflect and commemorate on this history, as well as celebrate Black culture in America.

Team Doc Wayne is proud to be in the company of the following youth-focused organizations as recipients of Dave McGillivray Finish Strong Foundation awards. This grant will help us to continue our youth mental health work with young people in the Boston area and beyond.
https://bit.ly/4esjUyc

Joseph M. Tierney Learning Center
Youth Enrichment Services (YES)
3Point
Cambridge Basketball Lab
Dreamfar High School Marathon
Team Long Run

We're celebrating throughout the month of June by answering important questions, including those around LGBTQIA+ terminology. Today we share some frequently used terms around gender. The more we know, the more we can support our community!

As a proud program partner of Head in the Game, we are excited to share a free Doc Wayne training course, Creating LGBTQ+ Affirming Athletic Spaces. Curated by LGBTQ-identified youth development professionals, the course explores what it means to proactively create LGBTQ-affirming athletic spaces.

Space Available!
Join our self-paced course, which is available starting June 10 and must be completed by June 28: https://bit.ly/45ks0o9

Stay tuned for details and save the date for our next self-paced virtual training, which begins August 5.

Team Doc Wayne is answering your questions around LGBTQIA+ language, acronyms, resources, and more, starting with some frequently used terms. These terms are a starting point; it's always helpful to continue to research and ask questions.

Doc Wayne Board member Tref Borden was recently featured by Dartmouth's Dartmouth Engineering for her support of our youth mental health programs.

“In light of so many children and older youth being impacted by the conflicts and strife worldwide,” she says, “it is imperative that mental health supports are scaled to meet their needs to ensure the trauma they endure does not have lifelong implications.”

https://bit.ly/3RCqqsv

Leaning on community and checking in with one another is an important part of supporting our own mental health and that of others. If you know someone who may be facing challenges, here are some actionable steps to provide support.
As always, if you need help immediately, please call or text 988 or reach out to a trusted medical professional.

Doc Wayne celebrates month! Stay tuned as we share Doc Wayne voices, LGBTQ+ resources, and more throughout the month of June.

As draws to a close, we continue to celebrate Doc Wayne's recent exciting milestone; we've officially impacted one million young people around the world. We are honored and thankful to be recognized this month by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and look forward to growing our youth mental health programs and impact in the months and years ahead.

Don’t go through hard times alone. Talk to a friend or family member, reach out to your doctor or mental health professional, or utilize a free 24/7 resource like the 988 call or text hotline.

Missed out on a spot in the 2024 ASICS Falmouth Road Race lottery? There's still time to join Team Doc Wayne on August 18th and to raise funds while running the hottest race of the summer. It's a win-win - you get to race and support our life-changing youth mental health programs.

Apply today: https://docwayne.org/falmouth-race/

Whether on a field, basketball court, or in a classroom, Team Doc Wayne's sport-based therapy programs happen where young people feel comfortable and have fun. That's one of the reasons our approach works so well!

Doc Wayne Youth Services Sport-Based Mental Health Therapy Reaches Over One Million Youth Worldwide

Organization’s Champion’s Network® trauma-informed training programs for coaches, teachers and clinicians being utilized in 32 countries, including conflict zones

Read the full press release: https://bit.ly/3V9cXKS

Ask Doc Wayne!

June is right around the corner, and that means Pride month is almost here! Doc Wayne's coaches, Licensed Mental Health Professionals and Youth Development Professionals, are going to be answering your questions about supporting LGBTQIA+ youth or your questions surrounding LGBTQIA+ language, acronyms, resources and more throughout the month of June. Feel free to share your question in the comments or follow the below link for an anonymous survey tool.

https://bit.ly/3UCeOpU

Hit share and help us to give access to Doc Wayne's free mental health resources to your friends, family, and colleagues!

Our youth mental health programs have impacted over one million young people worldwide, and we are just getting started.

Young people need mental health support now more than ever, and these tips can help with opening lines of communication. https://bit.ly/49338mq

As proud partners of the Joseph M. Tierney Learning Center, Team Doc Wayne is excited to see their work highlighted in the Dorchester Reporter. We look forward to the time we spend with the kids here, and we appreciate the collaboration and support of the Tierney team. https://bit.ly/3UrYAPW