Developed in 2006, HEART started when the MHA teamed up with Music is Art, Healthy Community Alliance & Crisis Services. Working together, we created a way to reach
students with the important messages of positive mental health behaviors, recognizing when someone may be in need of mental health services & how to create an atmosphere of care.
Since this inception, HEART has been invited to 21 schools in WNY- reaching out to
more than 13,600 students in rural, city, suburban, public & private middle & high schools!!
Bringing a message of self & peer-awareness, open-communication, & the importance of cognizance of their peers, friends,
family, self & general surroundings; the program teaches students that it's okay to speak up if they aren't feeling their best or
if they see someone who might be in need of help.
With the help of Music is Art, HEART has worked with 3 area bands; Agent Me, Last Conservative & MilkFat. These
musicians perform for the students- in real concert fashion & talk to them about their own experiences related to mental
illness. Each band has its own personal story that the students relate to and have shown a real understanding of.
Using fresh ideas & up-to-date methods to reach adolescents, these important messages are heard with open ears & the
presentations are seen with wide-open eyes. Students enter their school auditorium fully expecting another boring lecture or
bland video presentation. Often, these important messages are lost because of the mundane, tiresome & out-of-date
methods that are used to present them. We capture the attention of the media-driven youth by speaking to them through a means they can relate to & actually enjoy!
And don't think that we've forgotten about the teachers! At
school after school, principals, teachers, cafeteria workers, custodians & more, stop our team and praise us for our unique
style and exceptional message! Everyone enjoys a HEART day!
To follow-up with this blast of information, we return to the school
within a week to deliver the TELL-IT! curriculum to individual classrooms. These classes are chosen by the school & will
replace the curriculum of anything from health to gym to math! Teachers recognize the importance of teaching youth about learning positive mental health behaviors & the value of
recognizing signs of mental illness- & that's why they keep inviting us back!
To ensure the quality, reliability & effectiveness of the program,
the Center for Health & Social Research at Buffalo State College has developed survey evaluations. The students are asked to fill
out these surveys to ensure the messages are actually heard. The surveys are quick- taking only about 6 to 7 minutes of time to complete- and are taken once prior to the assembly and
after the TELL-IT! curriculum is completed.
Preliminary analysis shows an increase in students' knowledge of positive mental health behaviors as well as dispelling myths
about mental illness & the ever-so-present stigma that is commonly associated.
The HEART program is available to middle and high schools in Erie, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Niagara, Genesee, Orleans &
Wyoming counties. As a general, we like to stick with grades 5- 12 for the assembly portion of the program, but teachers
have been known to sneak the younger ones in for a peek! Students and faculty of all ages can appreciate the hard work the
band puts into each and every performance while listening to the importance messages they have to relate.
If you are interested in the program or have questions about availability, cost and further content, please call Jessica LaFalce at (716) 886.1242 x. 326
We are always happy to answer questions for you & would be thrilled to visit your school for a preliminary presentation/
question-answer session with teachers, parents and even students!
