Gizmo's Pawesome Guide to Mental Health Read Along & Activity

Gizmo is a Connecticut-based emotional support dog, who is a K-9 First Responder and has become the mascot for CT’s suicide prevention program “1 Word, 1 Voice, 1 Life…Be the One to Start the Conversation.” The Gizmo program is a supportive, data-driven & evidenced based program for youth that seeks to enforce strong bases for mental health wellness and emotional processing. The program approaches mental health wellness in a safe, non-threatening way that gives youth the opportunity to develop self-care and emotional response skills, guiding them in identifying stressors, developing healthy coping mechanisms, and teaching them how to identify safe & trusted adults in their lives to help them along the way. Kids will participate in a read-along, followed by guided activities, facilitated by a mental health professional, and aimed at stimulating healthy peer/adult conversation about trust, safe relationships, and general mental health wellness.

All elementary-aged students are invited to attend! 

This program is sponsored by grants from Western CT Coalition and CCF.

This program is hosted by SMART, Inc. [Southbury & Middlebury Acting Responsibly Together], a local non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the lives of individuals, families, and communities by making the towns healthier and safer for young people by preventing youth substance abuse and promoting positive decision making. SMART is the Local Prevention Council for the two towns and creates and implements ongoing mental health support and substance use prevention measures & education to keep the members of the communities safe and informed.

Visit smart@smartinc.org to learn more! Please find more details about this program by visiting this site https://www.gizmo4mentalhealth.org/about/and https://www.preventsuicidect.org/.