sacramento, california – Our first partner, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, has spent decades spotlighting, researching and improving the mental health of young people.
But for her, the topic goes beyond professional obligations. It’s personal.
When Siebel Newsom was six years old, her older sister died in an accident, and she had to navigate grief and emotional upheaval at an early age.
She knows firsthand what it feels like to be a child who has experienced the loss and trauma that many California children have endured during the pandemic.
“I think we went to therapy once[after my sister died]and then, let’s move on, all was well and we were going to pretend like nothing happened,” she told EdSource. said in a recent interview with .. Filled with tears. “And losing your best friend and your sister was traumatic. So I always knew: Without your mental health, what would you have?”
Siebel Newsom went to college, earned an MBA, and worked in Hollywood for several years before turning his skills to documentary filmmaking.
She has produced four award-winning documentaries focusing on mental health, equity, gender, and related topics. In 2011, she began with “Miss Representation,” in which she described the over-focused depiction of women on beauty and sexuality, and its impact on young people.
Released in 2015, The Mask You Live In looks at how boys struggle with expectations of masculinity.
“The Great American Lie,” published in 2020, explored race and income inequality in the United States. Most recently, “Fair Play” focused on the challenges women face in trying to balance work and family life.
Off camera, Siebel Newsom has been a tenacious and outspoken advocate in her husband’s care for students experiencing trauma, anxiety, depression, and other emotional hardships.
This year, the Newsom administration set aside $4.7 billion for youth mental health programs in California.
The funds will be used for many programs such as:
- 40,000 new school counselors and other mental health professionals.
- A community school that provides social services to students and their families.
- Streamlined Medi-Cal coverage for young people to receive free mental health services.
- A one-stop online hub for youth mental health services, including hotlines, videos, and tips for parents.
As an initial partner, Siebel Newsom has promoted improved nutrition in schools, better access for children to the outdoors, and other initiatives related to youth well-being.
State Board of Education President Linda Darling Hammond praised Siebel Newsom’s “consistent and tenacious” efforts to represent California’s children, families and teachers.
“She has shown great empathy for the traumatic experiences young people and their families have had during the pandemic, and has not only organized perceptions on these issues, but also provided social and emotional support in schools. “She has a vibrant vision for a whole-child, whole-family, and whole-community education system that truly nurtures every student to thrive.” We have: nourishing our bodies with nutritious food, giving our minds opportunities for deep exploration, nourishing our minds, with a sense of belonging, acceptance and love.”
Loretta Whitson, director of the California Association of School Counselors, said mental health services have been underfunded in California for many years, so Siebel Newsom’s efforts are particularly welcome.
“She knows full well that comprehensive mental health services in California’s schools are inadequate. The governor’s recent investment will add school counselors, but the Siebel Newsom documentary There will be an even greater need for access to films and curriculum support materials such as the series,” Whitson said. “(We) want to work with her and support her efforts.”
Siebel Newsom is also a mother of four and, like most parents, has experienced the anguish of seeing her children suffer emotional distress during the pandemic.
“I had to learn to ground[them]. It really helped,” she said at a recent conference of counselors and school administrators in Napa. When children experience these difficulties, we must realize that it is not their fault….As parents, you feel that your child is in pain and cannot be helped. There is nothing worse than seeing the
Her own experience, as well as that of other parents, has helped shape her advocacy work.
In 2021, Siebel Newsom will tour the state to listen to parents’ frustrations and challenges during the pandemic and what’s helping families cope with school closures, quarantines, the loss of loved ones, and other hardships. I collected ideas for She repeatedly heard about her child’s technology addiction. Young people are glued to their phones, spend countless hours a day playing games, immersed in social media, and completely cut off from family and friends, so they rarely leave their rooms. did.
Working with the California Partners Project, a group she founded, she used this information to create a toolkit to help children in families, schools, and beyond overcome technology addiction.
“I’ll always say that the elephant in the room is technology addiction and social media addiction and everything that comes with it,” she told EdSource. Yes, they are not fully set in. They are being manipulated by this technology to deepen their isolation and cut us off from each other and our relationships.
One of her solutions to these challenges is getting young people out and eating more nutritious foods. She was a primary supporter of the state’s “Farm to School” grant program. It’s her $60 million initiative that pays for school gardens, cooking classes, and other projects that bring healthier, fresher food to schools and teach kids where food comes from.
To encourage kids to get outside more, she launched the California State Parks Adventure Pass, which provides all California 4th graders and their families with free entry to 19 state parks and free vehicle access to state parks. We spearheaded the California State Library Park Pass offering pass. Borrowing is possible with a library card. Amy Cranston, executive her director of the Social Emotional Learning Alliance for California, says Siebel Newsom’s advocacy has helped bring attention to the mental health crisis among young people and promote wellness in schools.
“As you can see from her documentary work, she is acutely aware and informed of these critical issues we face as a society,” said Cranston. She said, “I am very grateful to both her and her governor for their support in acknowledging the important role this plays in her student’s success, her school, and her life.”
Darling Hammond said Siebel Newsom “cared for the state’s 6 million children with the same care and compassion that he had for his own four.”
As the governor’s wife, Siebel Newsom feels uniquely positioned to combine her personal concern for youth welfare with policies that reach ordinary Californians.
The pandemic, the surge in young people’s use of technology, and the general increase in violence and polarization have left her feeling a sense of urgency about her work and the interests of California’s children.
“This is a public health emergency,” she said. “Given what’s happening in the country and the world, it’s important that California succeeds now. And it starts with the well-being of our children.”
