The Tommi Project: A New Student Mental Health Initiative

New in-school mental health initiatives do not have to be expensive or stretch staff resources. The Tommi Project is a four-week literature circle curriculum wrapped around the young adult novel Screw You Van Gogh to be taught in grades 9 or 10 Language Arts classes. The curriculum meets academic standards required by most high schools as well as Social Emotional Learning (SEL) standards endorsed by Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL.)

The book is a powerful story of two unlikely friends brought together by change and an unworldly connection neither one can explain. Together they navigate teenage relationships, dysfunctional families, self discovery, the terrifying impact of teenage mental health, and, ultimately, the choice to live. 

The curriculum provides a sustained, non-threatening opportunity for students to vicariously learn of adolescent mental challenges and, ultimately, consider their own life experience. Click here to get the book!