Learn. Connect. Act.

Relational Health: Supporting Our Youth at Home, School and in Community

We held our 12th Annual We Can Do Better Conference on Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Recordings of the conference are available here.

Speakers included:

• Chelsea Holcomb – Oregon Health Authority Child and Family Behavioral Health Director
• Grace Bullock – Oregon Department of Education Senior Mental Health Officer
• Julie Early Sifuentes, Environmental Public Health, Oregon Health Authority report on youth mental health and climate crisis concerns.
• How schools are supporting youth mental health
  • Sharon Dursi Martin, Principal Harmony Academy High School, West Linn, Oregon’s first Recovery High School with student representative
  • Denise Velasco, Network Charter School, Eugene
  • Jay Breslow, Twin Rivers Charter School, Eugene
  • Maureen Hinman, Oregon School Based Health Alliance
  • Ashley Schhmidt ASHA International’s Let’s Talk about Mental Health in the schools program
  • S. Renee Mitchell I AM MORE youth empowerment program with student representative
• Emily Moser 988 Crisis Line Update – Lines for Life Youthline
• Julie Magers, and Amanda Ribbers, OHSU Data Evaluation and Technical Assistance Team for Crisis and Transition Services program
• Peer Support models for youth and families:
  • Crissy Oyervides, Youth ERA
  • Jeni Canaday, Oregon Family Support Network, Reach Out Oregon warmline
  • Dana Hafler-Manza and JoLynn Thompson, NAMI Multnomah

We Can Do Better views health as a product of many factors. Using our website, social media, and community forums, we share creative ways that communities approach health – through affordable and nutritious food, safe biking and pedestrian walkways, housing, equity issues and yes, improving the medical system.

We Can Do Better is not your typical non-profit, and each year we host a not-so-typical conference as illustrated by a comment from a 2013 conference participant, “I usually leave this sort of thing feeling pretty depressed about the hopelessness of it all. On the drive home from this conference, I was full of ideas of things that I could do. That sounds kind of trite when I say it, but I am looking at some things in a whole new way. Now all I need is to take that from thought into action.”

To get a flavor of our conference, please see our other events. Contact us if you want to help plan, volunteer the day of or contribute to our scholarship fund so everyone who wants to attend can Learn, Connect and Act.