PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Eon Tilly, Youth Council Co-Coordinator for Advocacy at Degrees NYC
1:53:30
·
3 min
Eon Tilly from Degrees NYC addressed the mental health crisis affecting students in New York City and highlighted how the proposed legislation can support students effectively. He expressed support for several bills, including Intro 989, Intro 986, Intro 996, and Intro 1103, while emphasizing the need for accessible, culturally competent, and multilingual resources.
- Tilly presented statistics on the mental health crisis among young people, including high rates of depression and suicide consideration.
- He shared findings from Degrees NYC's "Student Ready Schools and Campuses" report, which revealed that many students feel their schools need to offer more mental health resources.
- Tilly emphasized the importance of investing in student well-being to help them thrive academically and personally, aligning with Degrees NYC's mission to ensure all NYC schools are "student ready".
Eon Tilly
1:53:30
Good afternoon, councilwoman.
1:53:31
My name is Aon Tilly.
1:53:32
I'm the youth council co coordinator for advocacy at degrees NYC.
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Degrees NYC is a data informed collective impact movement co led by young people and education professionals to move to equity and education in New York City under the umbrella of Goddard Riverside in the Upper West Side.
1:53:48
You may be familiar.
1:53:50
Today, I will be addressing the mental health crisis affecting students and highlighting how the proposed legislation, can support students effectively by aligning with the policy recommendations of our, Degrees NYC Youth Council.
1:54:05
To be frank, there is a mental health crisis across this city.
1:54:08
It devastates students who are struggling with their mental health and are unable to access the resources and support they need in their schools.
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To illustrate, over 1 third of the nation's young people have been diagnosed with depression in their lifetimes.
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More than 30% of high schoolers weathered mental health challenges during the pandemic, and 1 in 5 reported considering suicide.
1:54:29
While the city council has made progress on this issue, we need to go to its root.
1:54:35
Since 2020, mental health has been a policy priority for degrees NYC.
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Our recently published student ready schools and campuses report found that 71% of respondents expressed that their schools needed to offer more resources to meet their needs.
1:54:49
43% of interviewees reported that students face mental health challenges on campus due to rising violence, discrimination, and punitive actions by professors.
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Degree NYC's mission is to ensure that all New York City schools and campuses are student ready.
1:55:03
Violence, discrimination, and punitive policies exacerbate these challenges, leaving students unsupported.
1:55:10
To build a student ready educational system, we must invest in student well-being to help them thrive academically and personally.
1:55:19
The Degrees NYC Youth Council supports several bills in this legislature.
1:55:23
To be specific, we support introduction 0989 calling on the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to create mental health toolkits for student wellness clubs.
1:55:32
We support this bill, but ask that these toolkits are made accessible, digestible, culturally competent, and multilingual.
1:55:39
Excuse me.
1:55:39
I'm just gonna go for a little bit longer.
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We also support introduction 986 and 996.
1:55:45
Bill 986 aims to pilot a program pairing mental health professionals with school wellness clubs to lead discussions and workshops.
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And Introduction Bill 996 establishes a peer to peer mental health training program, equipping students to support their peers.
1:56:00
We support both of these initiatives because they center youth voice, foster peer to peer connection, and develop student leadership skills while directly addressing mental health challenges the students are facing.
1:56:10
Lastly, introduction 1103 mandates that the police department notify the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene of violent events within 24 hours.
1:56:18
We support this bill with the condition that it includes, excuse me, includes hiring mental health professionals to connect affected students to resources and provide personalized guidance throughout the referral process.
1:56:30
This recommendation also aligns with the goals of ex of experts in the field, like the New York State School Counselor Association and the New York Association of School Psychologists, who advocate for collective care teams to be mandated in schools.
1:56:43
Thank you for lending me your ears today, and thank you for your time.
1:56:46
Degrees NYC is proud to support legislation like the ones presented in this testimony, excuse me, that can contribute significantly to student readiness in our city's education system.
1:56:56
Thank you again.
