PLEASE READ CAREFULLY! This is ONE section of a “group paper” (with five student

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY! This is ONE section of a “group paper” (with five students total). I will put all sections of the entire paper below (with completed parts and some non-completed parts so you have an idea of what it is looking like so far as our part is in the middle); however, I only have one part to write (as “Student Three”). The gist…is that I’m in an NYU Masters level class on Strategic Philanthropy and we are trying to solve a social problem by pitching an idea to an (imaginary) foundation. Our problem is teen depression (middle and high school) in the state of Alaska (which has one of the highest teen suicide rates in the country). There is an existing organization called NAMI, which provides a lot of services. We are hoping to offer an additional service of distributing Verilux Happy Lights (maybe 4 to plug into the library for kids to use while reading before 1 p.m. and the school counselors can loan out home versions for morning use for any high-risk kids to help regulate their circadian rhythms) esp in the dark Alaskan winters, to boost their moods, and help with sleep and to see if we can start tracking the teen depression and suicides down as one piece of many others (exercise, diet, group therapy, telehealth therapy, etc provided by others). My section of this group paper is 2.5-3 page, double spaced in Times New Roman on the “Risk Mitigation” of this “full spectrum light program” (i.e. what are the risks to the success of this project and how we plan to address them. Who is the opposition?)
The final paper will be 25 pages (or less) long with the following sections: Executive Summary; Problem Statement; Approach; Risk Mitigation (OUR SECTION); Beneficiaries; Critical Partnerships; Measurement and Evaluation; Budget Narrative; Conclusion: Bibliography. It must be in APA style and hopefully at least 2-3 references mentioned.
Some personal thoughts on Risk Mitigation for this are:
Will there be school board opposition? (answer is likely that this is an additional resource available to kids, not a requirement, and is totally voluntary. Its an option for those who feel that time under these lights in the library, the counselors office or at home might benefit. No kid has to use these lights if they don’t want to).
Will there be parent opposition? (Parents can make a family decision on if this might be beneficial to their child and they can opt-in to the service or ignore it. No one will be subjected to the lights without their knowledge or consent).
Will the kids not buy-in to the program and ignore it?
Will the school counselor or librarian resent having to add these to their space and to monitor usage? (We can include a “how to use” brochure for both the librarians and the school counselors with a “thank you for helping make a brighter day and future” card. The hope is that it will attract more kids to both visit the school counselor and the library and that both the counselor and librarians will enjoy the second order consequences of less grumpy kids in the Winter months as a result of their efforts). If a school counselor or librarian refuses to help, we can seek out other people in the school who might have the time and a spot for a few lights for morning use (perhaps in a student lounge, a section of the cafeteria, etc)
Who is in charge of changing light bulbs, reordering, or dealing with a broken light? The school counselor and the librarian can work in concert with the person who places the regular light bulb orders from the school to get replacement bulbs from our foundation. Verilux also has a toll free number for fixes of faulty lights.
Another risk is that the lights will be mis-used. They should not be used after 1 p.m. or it could throw off sleep patterns and will have the opposite affect. If kids who used the “take home” version of the lights are using them to study with at night, the kids will end up more tired. Every light will go home with explicit and clear instructions on when/how to use them. The librarians and school counselors should not allow the lights to be used after lunch time.
Another risk is that light therapy is not a panacea for all teen depression and should not be viewed as such. It is a tool in a tool box. It is important to also exercise, eat well, get enough sleep, and seek professional counseling if feeling sad. Our educational brochures should clearly state that. We believe it will help, but it will not replace traditional talk therapy and medication for severely depressed teens.
Feel free to think of any other risks here too!
Group 2 Final Action Plan

(Individual Sections Post Below, if Completed)
Executive Summary (Student One, not yet completed): Provide a brief summary of the sections of the paper. Should be no more than two pages. Remember that this may be the only part of the document that is read by the foundation staff you are pitching to so make sure it lays out the case for the investment and includes the grant request.
Problem Statement (Student Two): Describe the problem, why it is a problem, and who is impacted by the problem. What specific elements of the problem is this investment trying to address? How does solving this problem fit within the mission of the foundation you are pitching?
Think back to when you were 15 years old. Imagine being bullied because of your ethnicity. Your peers consider you different, making you feel like you don’t belong. You are ostracized and isolated from a community where you hoped to find a home. You have no friends. You can’t turn to your parents for support as they’re absent and always at work. All you can do is sit with a deafening loneliness that grows louder and louder, until you’re enveloped by a cacophony of sadness and helplessness. Dark thoughts that once felt foreign start to cloud your mind. They get darker as the harsh and relentless Alaskan winter robs precious sunlight from your life. Before you are swallowed whole by the darkness, you make one final, last-ditch attempt for help, desperately searching for mental health support services. But there are none. A paralyzing hopelessness washes over you as you realize again that you are alone, and you start to believe in what you’ve been made to feel: you don’t belong in this world.
This is the grim reality for far too many Alaskan youth, with more than 38% aged 12-18 in 2019 (an increase from 27% since 2007) reporting feeling sad or helpless (Youth Behavior Risk Survey, 2019). From 2016 to 2020, there was a 51.9% increase in the number of children and teens between the ages of 3 and 17 struggling with anxiety. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Alaskan youth aged 12 to 17 experienced more Major Depressive Episodes (MDE), reaching an all-time high of 12.4% (the national annual average is 11.9%). In fact, 50% of all lifetime mental health illnesses in Alaska begin by age 14 (Mason, 2023).
Though deeply concerning, youth mental health issues are not new or uncommon. What is especially alarming is Alaska’s fragile, fragmented, and underfunded mental healthcare system and the sheer lack of mental health services, let alone effective ones, that Alaskan youth can turn to when they need help. 62.9% of Alaskans aged 12–17 who have depression did not receive any care in 2021 (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2021). From 2011 to 2015, an average of 50% of adolescents who had MDE did not receive treatment for depression (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2017). At least 80% of young people with mental illness have unmet needs (Mason, 2023).
The rising number of mental health issues coupled with a broken system have made Alaska’s youth feel as if they are left with no choice but to take their own life. Out of 1,875 respondents from 39 schools, about a quarter had seriously considered suicide and 19% had attempted suicide (Berman, 2022). One in every five children in Alaska will attempt suicide (Mason, 2023). Alaska’s average annual adolescent suicide rate at 28.8 suicides per 100,000 was 3.2 times higher than the average annual U.S. rate during 2016-2018. From 2018 to 2019, the suicide rate among Alaska Native adolescents nearly doubled. In 2019, suicide was the leading overall cause of death for Alaska youths and young adults aged 15 to 24 – the only age group where that was the case (Berman, 2021).
Due to Alaska’s geography, a specific element and contributing factor is seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a chemical change in the brain, as a result of shorter days and less sunlight, leading to symptoms of depression. Since it can be dark nearly 24 hours a day during the winter, Alaskans are at particular risk of developing SAD and therefore chronic depression. The focus of Bright Lights, Bright Minds is to help Alaska’s most vulnerable population counteract this chemical change, providing them with the most effective and widely accepted treatment: light therapy. Over the next five years, we aim to implement our Full Spectrum Light Program in all 330 public middle and high schools in Alaska, brightening up their days and lives.
Our mission directly aligns with your School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN) foundation as we aim to support access to mental health services on school campuses to children living in rural and urban communities. Specifically, we are applying for your $5 million School-based Mental Health Implementation Grant to expand and implement mental health care services on public school campuses. Together, with your support, we hope to make the Alaskan youth realize there is help if they need it and believe deep down that they do belong in this world.
Approach (Student One): Describe your approach. This should be a narrative descriiption of the principal results the investment would achieve and how those results relate to the problem described above (rather than a list of outcomes and outputs.) Include a short Theory of Change or Action.
As outlined earlier, alarming statistics abound about the crisis-level youth mental health situation in Alaska. Due to Alaska’s geography, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), as a result of shorter days and less sunlight, additionally contributes to symptoms of depression.
Over the next five years, the nonprofit Bright Lights, Bright Minds (BLBM) aims to alleviate some of these harsh realities for Alaska’s youth suffering from depression by complementing the mental health services already in place by rolling out a comprehensive Full Spectrum Light Program (FSLP). Crouch (2015) showed that by tactically positioning full spectrum light (FSL) in public places such as classrooms and libraries, the emotional health of teenagers can be enhanced. Crouch also confirmed that home versions of these lights have the potential to further alter the healing landscape for high-risk adolescents significantly, including parents and siblings, who frequently also experience emotional distress.
Our research indicates that the Verilux Happy Lights (VHL) are the best suited for both the required therapeutic properties as well as design. The VHL is easy to carry and send via mail.
Our preliminary multi-pronged approach looks at:
a. Working with the National Alliance of Mental Health Alaska (NAMI) and the Department of Psychology of the University of Alaska to be our communication and assessment partners. We want to ensure our flyers and letters are respectful, culturally sensitive and scientifically correct. We also want to ensure that the surveys used to test impact are similarly appropriate and can lead to evidence-based insights to fine-tune the approach.
b. Creating material to help educate school staff, including school nurses, as well as parents about the beneficial properties of FSLP in addressing adolescent depression. We will also reference other inventions, such as exercise, that students can do on their own, or with their families and friends.
c. Identifying optimal county-level distribution hubs of the VHLs. We expect to have on average 5 VHLs for each school library, and one each for the school nurse and school psychologist. Then we also expect to distribute, on average, one take-home VHL to five families per school.
d. Obtaining the go-ahead from the Alaska Department of Education and working through the various school districts to determine each school’s need.
e. Hiring local staff, initially expected to be four (one manager, two outreach officers, and one logistics associate.
f. Formalizing a relationship with the manufacturers of the Verilux Happy Lights and agreeing on a pricing structure and logistics to ship to a few strategically located distribution hubs.
g. Determining a tentative phased roll-out plan and budget, with milestones to check impact and consider adjustments to the program.

Research has shown that as little as 20 minutes of FSL exposure is needed to have a day-long positive impact. At a high level our theory of change focuses on introducing the FSLP to schools, where children can use the lamps in the library or in the school psychologist’s office, as well as at the homes of teenagers who suffer from depression. Using the Kellogg Foundation framework, we see our theory of change as:
We follow the discipline of human-centered design thinking (Arnold, 1958) focusing on distinct steps of problem-framing, ideation, prototyping and testing, and communication. Our initial focus will be to identify the problems and solutions by involving all stakeholders and those directly impacted. We are planning for the staff of BLBM to visit Alaska to learn on the ground, where we will meet with local experts, as well as focus groups of school staff and future users. Testing prototypes with intended users is a critical part of the design process, ensuring that proposed deployment approach is fit for purpose, and that they meet user needs.
Although our preliminary findings show that we can expect a marked improvement of the mental health of teenagers suffering from depression, we are planning to have a phased roll out to learn as we proceed, ultimately covering all schools that opt-in to the FSL program as follows:
Year 1 – Establish Formalize programs and roll out small pilots
Year 2 – Cover 25% of schools
Year 3 – Cover 60% of schools
Year 4 – Cover 100% of schools*
Year 5 – Continue supporting all programs state-wide
* 100% of schools that agree to participate with the program. We expect some schools might not opt-in.
Risk-Mitigation (Student Three, US – this is section we need to complete!!!): Describe any significant risks to the success of this project and how you plan to address them. Who is the opposition?
Beneficiaries (Student Three, I already completed this): Who would benefit from this investment? If this project was wildly successful, who would benefit? What groups of people? A community? The country? The world? Be as specific as possible.
Strategic Philanthropy Paper: Beneficiaries of the Full Spectrum Light Program
The challenging topography and harsh winter conditions of Alaska, characterized by limited daylight, have given rise to a significant and urgent societal matter of adolescent depression. According to Berman (2021), the state exhibits a notably high prevalence of teen suicide rates compared to other regions within the nation, necessitating the use of inventive approaches to effectively tackle this pressing concern. As advocates of strategic philanthropy, we advocate for the adoption of a comprehensive Full Spectrum Light Program, in partnership with the established NAMI organization, with the objective of mitigating adolescent depression through the utilization of Verilux Happy Lights, known for their therapeutic properties. Hence, the major objective of this section is to explore the program’s beneficiaries.
Adolescents residing in Alaska encounter a distinctive obstacle in their struggle against depression, as they traverse the arduous conditions of the state’s extended periods of darkness throughout winter. The Full Spectrum Light Program presents itself as a promising initiative, providing a practical resolution to this urgent matter. Crouch (2015) contends that by tactically positioning these lights in public places such as classrooms and libraries, teenagers may be able to access a beneficial resource that can assist them in enhancing the emotional health and thus a brighter viewpoint on life. It should equally be noted that far-reaching implications of full spectrum light are important because they aid in improving emotional health, and also in regulating human circadian rhythm, which is crucial to mental health.
Besides, adolescents can be engulfed in the atmosphere of quietness as a the light’s soft glow manifests in a library environment. Notably, this immersion generates a major emotional change which improves the person’s general well-being (Crouch, 2015). Likewise, the lights emit a luminous brilliance that effectively offsets the prevailing sense of darkness, providing individuals with a temporary relief from the burdensome challenges they face (Crouch, 2015). Thus, as the teenagers immerse themselves in the comforting illumination, they have the opportunity to rekindle a profound sense of hope and optimism, which are essential elements on their path towards recuperation.
Likewise, the availability of home versions of these lights significantly alters the landscape for high-risk adolescents. This practice endows the teenagers with the ability to assume control over their mornings, imbuing each day with the revitalizing benefits of exposure to a wide range of light wavelengths. According to Crouch (2015), this intervention, however straightforward, possesses a significant impact by establishing a favorable atmosphere, establishing a basis for subsequent daily endeavors. This enables individuals to confront forthcoming obstacles with revitalized fortitude and adaptability.
Additionally, The Full Spectrum Light Program not only provides emotional comfort to adolescents facing challenges, but also extends its beneficial impact to their families and surrounding communities. According to Melnyk et.al (2015), parents and siblings, who frequently observe the emotional distress of their family members, are likely to encounter significant alleviation. As such, the program’s capacity to mitigate adolescent sadness fosters a more positive and cohesive domestic environment. Consequently, this dynamic promotes enhanced familial connections, cultivating a milieu characterized by comprehension, assistance, and compassion.
Equally, communities play a crucial role in the lives of adolescents, offering as essential sources of support. According to Mason (2023), Alaska has insufficient mental health community-based support structures for teenagers. Notably, educational institutions, community-based groups, and local networks collectively should be the protective framework for these young individuals in the state. Mason (2023) notes that adolescents who experience an enhancement in their psychological welfare are more inclined to actively participate in their respective communities. Thus, the lighting project’s ripple effect has the potential to foster a more dynamic and interconnected community, wherein the welfare of each individual is inextricably linked to the overall well-being of the entire collective.
Moreover, educators assume a significant responsibility in the lives of adolescents residing in Alaska. Crouch (2015) opines that the implementation of light programs is a useful resource for optimizing the educational setting when integrated in spaces such as libraries and other educational environments. Crouch (2015) suggests that with such implementations, educators stand to gain advantages from a student population that is actively involved and driven, potentially resulting in a more enhanced educational encounter for all parties involved. This ensures a favorable atmosphere is established that promotes concentration, innovation, and psychological wellness.
Although the lighting program currently prioritizes Alaska, its potential impact extends beyond the boundaries of the state. Crouch (2015) suggests that the full spectrum lighting initiative has significantly gained popularity and could potentially be adopted by other places facing comparable geographical obstacles, such as the Northern states in the United States and countries characterized by prolonged periods of darkness, such as Sweden, as a means to address the issue of teenage depression. Thus, the projected successful outcomes from our project observed in Alaska have the potential to serve as a model for comparable initiatives on a global scale.
In conclusion, The Full Spectrum Light Program exhibits significant potential as a source of optimism for adolescents in Alaska who are grappling with depression. By placing a high value on the welfare of individuals, the initiative aims to generate a beneficial chain reaction that extends its influence to families, communities, and educational establishments. As it endeavors to shed light on the experiences of Alaskan teenagers, it also lays the groundwork for a possible worldwide influence, emphasizing the transformative efficacy of strategic philanthropy in tackling pressing social concerns.
Critical Partnerships (Student Four): Describe any critical relationships with other partners or organizations that may be important for this project to succeed. Who are the key stakeholders? What foundations have invested in similar projects?

The Aspen Institute, a nonprofit think tank based in Washington D.C. had this to say about nonprofits in 2016, “Nonprofit organizations play a vital role in building healthy communities by providing critical services that contribute to economic stability and mobility” (Camper, 2016). In order to leverage the opportunities for success in mission driven objectives, nonprofits, including Bright Minds, Bright Lives have recognized that a multi-pronged approach that engages inter-sector collaboration is becoming the new standard. From public, to private, local, cultural grassroots organizations to other adjacent nonprofits, the network of capacity builders and allies creates a rich nutritive environment for impactful social change.
Teen mental health crises have encountered a sobering upward trend in the last few years especially with the pandemic and its residual challenges. In 2021, Alaska ranked first for teen suicide mortality in the nation (CDC/National Center for Health Statistics, 2021). It was important for Bright Lights, Bright Minds to really have a deep understanding and connection to beneficiaries, so we have established partnerships with grassroots level organizations that were created by the very beneficiaries of these organizations themselves. We at Bright Lights, Bright Minds believe that the communities who rallied around themselves, galvanized, and fortified local infrastructure know best. By aligning ourselves with these organizations, we don’t seek to disrupt current relationships, rather, our goal is to learn how we can increase effectiveness in collaborating towards improved teen mental health outcomes in the state.
A critical partnership that has been integral to the success of our operation and our pursuit of grant funding of (SBHSN) has been the Alaska Mental Health Trust. The Alaska Mental Health Trust provides comprehensive support in the state for mental health and behavioral health initiatives in the state. Its role is unique in that although it is a subsidiary of the Alaska Mental Health Trust, a state corporation, it funds mental health programs and organizations at all levels to ensure broad statewide mental health systems integration. One such beneficiary of this operation is the Alaska Public School system. The Alaska Public School system has benefitted not only from the direct funding initiatives of The Alaska Mental Health Trust but also through the extensive amount of case studies and research provided to evaluate endemic youth mental health trends that help to chronicle the evolution of prophylactic and crisis intervention systems. This funding is vital to the continuing education and evaluative metrics necessary for youth mental health awareness.
In addition, it is important for Bright Lights, Bright Minds to partner with other nonprofit organizations involved in the actual service of youth mental health. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is one of the foremost health organizations serving the immediate mental health needs of youth in Alaska. With support from The Alaska Mental Health Trust, NAMI’s efforts multi-layered with programs in prevention, intervention, and crisis with longstanding partnerships with the Alaska Public School system. Their expertise and interconnectedness with the school administrators and clinicians makes them the expert mediators and implementers of light therapy solutions. Through a partnership between Bright Lights, Bright Minds and NAMI, clinicians at the respective schools will be able to learn about light therapy benefits, their implementation, and the usefulness in clinical application for student needs. Moreover, the institutional knowledge on mental health trends and resources that NAMI possesses would be an invaluable resource for our organization as well as an identification marker for brand recognition and trust. This partnership is the greatest factor to our success because it is at this very point where our product or tool is transferred into the hands of those who will disseminate it.
Securing a corporate sponsorship from a light therapy provider is part of establishing a critical partnership that at once addresses profitability for the manufacturer and wide distribution of light therapy modules. Verilux, the leader in light therapy sales by volume, has agreed to sponsor at least half of the modules needed for 330 targeted schools with the added provision of governmental subsidies provided from the Biden-Harris Alaska Infrastructure law which was recently passed to improve civic wellbeing and efficiency. This would allow a collaborative approach that if successful, would allow for the gaining of critical mass into the scaling of future light therapy manufacturers and technology.
Partnerships in distribution of the light therapy modules will occur through subsidies from the federal government. A recent influx of funding from the Biden-Harris administration for the purpose of mental health has allowed for greater absorption of logistical expenses. By subsidizing transport and freight, schools will not have to bear the financial burden of delivery of light therapy modules nor their shipment for intermittent repairs and routine maintenance back to the manufacturer. There are many case spotlights given for similar civic and educational improvement projects receiving funding under the Biden-Harris Alaska Infrastructure – much more complex operations than what is proposed here for Bright Lights, Bright Minds. Thus, this partnership will be very feasible and relatively easy to maintain for future sustainability.
Finally, in an effort to increase visibility and representation within the diverse youth population, we have partnered with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Foundation who have sponsored a pilot program to introduce light therapy to their youth behavioral health programming in Anchorage. Here tribal behavioral health clinicians will be able to advise light therapy as part of a holistic offering of directives to middle school and high school students and their parents/caregivers. With Alaska Men between the ages of 15-24 having the highest rate of among any demographic in the country, it was important for Bright Lives, Bright Minds to provide an effort into inclusivity in the region. We also recognize the independence of tribal communities to create and implementations for themselves. Through connection and cross-cultural learning we believe we stand to gain more than just a partnership – we can play a part in the interconnectedness among all youth through the promotion of mental wellbeing.
Measurement and Evaluation (Student Five): Describe your plan for monitoring and evaluation of the outputs and outcomes you identify. Specifically address: The learning/evaluation questions for this investment and how you plan to answer them through monitoring and/or evaluation
Bright Lights, Bright Minds (“BLBM”) views evaluation as one of the key ways the organization will be strategic and intentional with the impact that the organization has on Alaskan teen mental health. Continuous and informed evaluation will help our new organization meet the growing needs of Alaskan communities and their teens at risk of mental health issues such as depression and seasonal affective disorder. Our organization will require prudent evaluation of the distribution of light therapy lamps to all public Alaskan middle and high schools and their mental health benefits on teens. The major components of the organization’s evaluation process lies in our overall evaluation framework, performance measurement process, process for grantees and grantors of services to report effectiveness to us, and plans to incorporate results into future strategic planning (Holley & Carr, 2014). BLBM aims to incorporate strong DEI approaches along these branches of the organization to be intentional and best represent the diverse Alaskan community.
This organization’s overall framework holds the values of evaluating as a way to track progress and strive towards future positive outcomes. It is important to constantly question what we have been doing wrong, what we can do better, and how we can incorporate the ever-changing needs of both Alaskan communities and their teen population that is struggling with mental health and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Important questions that BLBM is keeping in mind include: why Alaskan teens are struggling comparatively to teens in other states, why has no one provided light therapy lamps to all Alaskan schools before, and are our proposed methods the best at helping these students? As an emerging nonprofit organization, developmental evaluation will be our primary evaluation type; putting existing technology into a new context, leaving space to adapt and shift the program as needed with results and data, and heavily incorporating community partners for participatory evaluation (Molina, 2020). Evaluations will take place on the overall function of providing light therapy lamps to schools, as well as be conducted for each individual grant received from foundations. Our framework demands that BLBM adheres to the Standards of Excellence in the Nonprofit Sector for evaluation by using both quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate impact, by being cost-effective, following the organization’s message, listening to input from participants, and using results to heighten success (Standards for Institute Excellence, 2023).
Evaluating and measuring how our grants from specific foundations such as the Alaskan Mental Health Trust and the Alaskan Native Tribal Health Consortium Foundation is very important to BLBM’s overall success and growth. In accordance with laws set forth by the IRS, we will document the annual accounting of the funds given to us for each grant, document all expenditures from the funds, and update the foundations on progress towards the goals listed in the grant (IRS, 2023). BLBM sees this tracking of progress as the bare minimum. In addition to these mandated guidelines, we will send a detailed bi-monthly newsletter report to our funding partners with progress made towards our goals showcasing quantitative data and testimonials from people interacting with our provided lights in schools. Providing our valued grantors with this information will keep us accountable for our work in Alaskan public schools throughout the entirety of the year and will allow insight on positive changes in mental health: both big and small. Twice a year, BLBM will meet with the granting organizations to discuss progress, challenges, and updates in funding in depth. In between newsletters and these meetings, we will always be available for questions and can meet additionally on request. These continuous updates will allow for constant evaluation and updates on progress throughout the year that are necessary to stay on track for annual goals.
Internal performance measurement processes for providing light therapy will be tracked with quantitative and qualitative data and rely on input from the community and tangible results. All of our schools will receive 9 lights: 4 for take-home use, 4 for library usage, and 1 for the counselor’s office. It will be vital to ensure that we do not go over our yearly budget with these lights after shipping, implementation, and maintenance. Our therapy light program will provide surveys to students, staff, and parents associated with Alaska public schools at the beginning and the end of the school years . Students will flag if they are involved or will be involved in the therapy light program and if they experience unhappiness or any mental health disorders. Staff members and parents will also report on how they experience their students’ mental wellbeing and response to the program if they are involved. Staff members such as teachers and counselors will also be able to express how the maintenance and presence of lights affects them, their school, and students. The questions on the survey will allow people to rank experiences on a scale of 1-10 for categories such as SAD, depression, and loneliness and will also provide places to write in answers and experiences as well. All of the questions on the survey will be made in conjunction with licensed psychologists who know how to word the questions for the populations we are intending to help. Surveys will be compared by progress from the beginning to the end of each year and surveying all students and comparing that data to students participating in the light program will help BLBM have a better understanding on if light is the only factor involved in helping these students. Comparing this data to yearly released data from the state on teen mental health status will also give a bigger picture on the impact of the program such as: do certain parts of Alaska benefit from this program more, do students who take home lights or use them in schools improve more, and do certain demographics benefit more?
Each year we will compare and contrast results of mental health outcomes of teens in Alaskan public middle and high schools, as well as perceptions of the light therapy from students, parents, and school staff. We will also track data on if schools need more, less, or the same amount of lights to improve the quality of life for their students. Although we have started with 9 lights per school, it is important to determine if it is equitable to provide the same amount of lights to each school Students will be also be sent their end-of-year surveys two weeks before the end of the school year and data will be compiled into PowerBI and results of light effectiveness will be broken down into multiple categories. These will include gender, age, demographic, location, socio-economic status, religion, if the participant received therapy outside of the light program, if the participant took any antidepressant medications, whether the surveyee participated in light therapy, and if they used a take-home light or the lights housed at their schools. Results will be compiled into graphs and powerpoint presentations over the course of two weeks before bringing them to the Alaskan community. Three online forums will be held for community members to put in their input: one for parents, one for middle and high school students, and one for staff members at public secondary schools. These forums will last for three hours each and will consist of a 30 minute presentation of the yearly results from this light therapy on depression and SAD, followed by a two and a half hour participatory space where participants have the floor for input on how to improve the program for themselves and their community. Meetings will all be recorded and sent out to everyone who attended and those who cannot make it. Following these forums, there will be surveys sent out to those who did not attend to voice input on potential improvements to the light therapy program. The last month and a half of summer before the start of the school year will consist of comparing suggestions from these community members to observations from BLBM staff members to compile for future strategic planning and to execute actions for the following school year.
BLBM aims to be an anti-racist and intentional organization in all of the steps of the evaluation process. We will follow the Awake to Woke to Work framework by creating our metrics with input from people of color, disaggregating data to comprehend how our services effect all beneficiaries, include demographics in our evaluation methods, measuring cultural responsiveness to our initiatives in each school, and conduct equity assessments both internally and externally (Equity in the Center, 2020). It is very important to follow this framework in order to ensure that we are addressing inequity and issues with racism at a systemic level (Equity in the Center, 2020). Considering that 35% of Alaskans do not identify as white, receiving this crucial input will be essential to best represent the diverse teen population of Alaska (Department of Labor, 2019). Measuring cultural responsiveness to BLBM’s initiatives is crucial due to our organization being founded by non-Alaskan citizens. Monitoring the responsiveness of our work with therapy lights, as well as keeping track of opinions from our important government, organization, and school partnerships will help us continue to grow in our mental-health outreach and meet Alaskan teens where they need us to be.
Budget Narrative (Student Four, not yet completed): Develop a simple budget that shows the funder how the money will be spent. Present the budget in both a chart and a narrative paragraph
Conclusion (Student Five, not yet completed): Please summarize your key argument why your strategies will impact the problem you describe. Close the deal with the funder and secure the grant, or investment.
Bibliography: