By Beverlyn Coleman, Clinical Program Director, I Ma’lak Na Ha’åni – Bright Futures
WestCare Pacific Islands’ (WPI) school-based youth behavioral health program, Ma’lak Na Ha’åni – Bright Futures, is happy to announce its expansion to community-based services in January 2022!
WPI was recently awarded the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCTSI) grant funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This grant allows Bright Futures to expand its scope of services and embrace a service model that will increase linkages to our community partners as well as provide vital mental health services to youth who are receiving multi-agency support.
In the next couple of months, the amazing Bright Futures team will continue providing school-based mental health services to its three school sites and prepare for a transition into a community-based program.
While it has been a true pleasure to work with the faculty and staff at our school sites, our mission continues to propel us forward in expanding our program’s reach in hopes of touching and shaping the lives of our island youth.
We are so grateful for the support, challenges, celebrations, and experiences. Over the past 16 months, the unwavering commitment of the Bright Futures team has proven to be the true foundation of the program. Whenever it felt like there was an obstacle at each turn, they remained focused on the program’s purpose. Armed with an endless amount of resiliency and dedication as we look ahead and beyond, our team will continue instilling a sense of hope for a Brighter Future for Guam’s youth!
