Delco Teens Get Support Through MY LIFE Program

MEDIA–A new youth leadership initiative called MY LIFE (Magellan Youth Leaders Inspiring Future Empowerment) is helping Delaware County teenagers who face mental health, substance abuse, foster care and juvenile justice challenges to make positive changes in their lives.

MY LIFE Delco is sponsored by the Delaware County Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) and Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania.

Behavioral health issues impact people of all ages, but they are particularly difficult for teenagers making that tough transition to adulthood. Through monthly meetings, workshops and activities, a group of 25 to 30 youth, ages 13 to 23, are trying to come to terms with serious issues impacting their lives. At the same time, they are working to reduce the stigma associated with being a young person living with mental illness or substance abuse.

MY LIFE was launched by Magellan in Arizona in 2008 and expanded to Southeast Pennsylvania this year, with four groups now meeting (Bucks, Delaware, Lehigh and Montgomery Counties). Delaware County contracts with Magellan for the delivery of mental health and substance abuse services.

MY LIFE Delco, launched in March, meets the second Tuesday of each month, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the Delaware County Intermediate Unit in Morton. The meetings are open to all interested youth and dinner is provided.

The August MY LIFE meeting, which featured a presentation on cyber-bullying, was facilitated by Shannon Thomas, Delaware County Coordinator of Children’s Mental Health at OBH, and Greg Dicharry, the national youth empowerment director for MY LIFE, who flew in from Arizona.

In addition to monthly meetings, MY LIFE features local and national workshops, leadership development, presentations and performances that focus on important issues affecting youth.

The Southeast MY LIFE chapters will all gather Saturday, Sept. 17, for a MY FEST event at Elmwood Park in Norristown. The daylong event will feature entertainment, youth involvement and resources on services for youth and families.

MY LIFE also provides youth the opportunity to become leaders, to get involved in their communities and to share concerns and ideas about the issues affecting them.

Dicharry described MY LIFE as a “free, community program with no strings attached. Any youth who hears about it can just show up. There’s no paperwork needed.”

“MY LIFE Delco is an exciting new initiative where young people can feel supported, where they can learn about topics important to them, and where they can develop positive social supports and leadership skills,” said Jonna DiStefano, administrator for OBH. “One of the goals is for the MY LIFE members to advise OBH, Magellan and other providers of youth services on issues affecting young people.”

When MY LIFE Delco members asked for more information about the potential dangers on the Internet, the facilitators invited Nathanial Evans, a computer forensic analyst with the Delaware County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, to present a program on “Online Safety.” Evans told the young people how cyber dangers include everything from posting inappropriate messages on social networking sites to sending sexually explicit pictures over cell phones and computers.

Bullying “is no longer the big kid on the playground beating up the little kid for lunch money. It’s anonymous and kids know this,” Evans said. “Young people need to confide in a trusted adult about anything that makes them feel scared or uncomfortable online.”

Future MY LIFE Delco meetings are set for Tuesday, Sept. 13, and Tuesday, Oct. 11.

For more information about MY LIFE, contact Shannon Thomas at Delaware County OBH, 610-713-2479, or Stephanie Lucas, Magellan certified peer specialist, at 215-504-3900, ext. 63854. People can also visit the Delaware County MY LIFE website at www.magellanofpa.com and go to the Delaware County section.