JED Campus: Mental Health & Wellness: Thomas College, Maine

Thomas College is a JED Campus

In August 2023, Thomas College became a JED campus. We are the only JED campus in the state of Maine and are currently in year 2 of a 4-year process.

The Jed Foundation (JED) is designed to help schools evaluate and strengthen their mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems to ensure that schools have the strongest possible mental health safety nets. There are currently over 450 campuses engaged in the JED Campus program.

Thomas College is recognized as the first JED Campus in Maine.

Year 1 of the JED Campus Program consists of a thorough assessment of how well the Thomas community supports student mental health and then draft a strategic plan to implement changes to provide even better supports for students campus wide.

In Years 2 and 3 we implement the suggested change and in Year 4 we repeat the assessment phase to learn of the impact of implemented changes.

History

In 1998, the founders of JED lost their youngest son, Jed, to suicide. Although suicide was and continues to be a leading cause of death among young adults, schools had no uniform model for preventing suicide on campus. Communities struggled to overcome the shame and secrecy that prevented honest discussion of mental health.

In 2000, The Jed Foundation (JED) was founded to surmount these hurdles and launch a blueprint for prevention.

Today, JED is the nation’s leading organization dedicated to young adult mental health. Together the Foundation is helping students navigate the emotional challenges of high school and college, prepare for adulthood, and thrive.

Thomas Mental Health Team

Thomas College formed a team to lead a multi-year strategic collaboration that not only assesses and enhances the work that is already being done but also helps create positive, lasting, systemic change in the campus community.

Students on the Mental Health Team include: Glenn Keene, Ryle Lagucki, and Alexis Spencer.