New Partnership Brings Free Mental Health Curriculum to Massachusetts Schools

May 8, 2023

The Kevin Love Fund in partnership with the Ruderman Family Foundation, will integrate its innovative social-emotional learning program into high school, afterschool, and youth development programs statewide  

BOSTON, MA, May 1, 2023 — In partnership with the Ruderman Family Foundation, the Kevin Love Fund today announced its expansion into Massachusetts, rolling out its free social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum in 25 schools across the state to support young people facing mental health struggles. In collaboration with K-12 educators and SEL experts, the 14-week curriculum is customized for middle school, high school, and college students, to guide students in expressing their emotions of fear, loss, anxiety, sadness, and other difficult feelings while also destigmatizing mental health challenges. 

The expansion of the curriculum will make it possible for Massachusetts educators to teach an evidence-based, engaging SEL curriculum as part of their mental health programming, where students learn how to cultivate empathy for others and themselves, understand the link between gratitude and wellbeing, harness creativity to support the healthy expression of emotions, and more. The Kevin Love Fund’s SEL curriculum is currently being used by schools in 34 other U.S. states serving more than 25,000 students. 

“Mental health challenges are one of the single greatest thieves of human potential today – but it doesn’t have to be,” said Kevin Love, professional athlete, mental health advocate, and founder of the Kevin Love Fund. “We want to make sure we are empowering youth, empowering their voices, letting them speak their own truths, and giving them the resources and tools needed to move forward.”  

President of the Ruderman Family Foundation Jay Ruderman said, “We believe that the Kevin Love Fund’s social emotional learning curriculum will be an important resource for Massachusetts teachers who can use it to emphasize themes of equity, inclusion, and creative expression in their work building student resilience, self-awareness, and wellbeing.” 

Throughout the program, video clips from celebrities, artists, and other young adults allow students to see that they are not alone in their feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, grief, or other challenging emotions. In the videos, students will see:
 

• Professional basketball player and Olympian Kevin Love speaking on the topic of creative writing and modeling vulnerability 
• Professional basketball player Grant Williams sharing how to create on your own mental health toolbox 
• Famed U.K. poet Hussain Manawer offering advice on poetry writing as it relates to expressing emotions 

• Award-winning songwriter, actor, director and producer Lin-Manuel Miranda explains that developing empathy and considering where someone else is coming from is an important part of writing, art, and life 
• Painter and activist Simone Lawrence sharing how she makes statements about racism and inequality through street art 
• Professional basketball player Chris Paul telling a story around practicing acts of kindness 
• Best-selling author, psychiatrist, and Founder of Brainstorm: The Stanford Lab for Mental Health Innovation, Dr. Nina Vasan describing the research behind the benefit of gratitude, and shares her own personal daily gratitude practice 
• Actor and filmmaker Bryan Cranston sharing the way he learned to reframe negative self-critical thoughts 

• Co-founders of apparel brand MadHappy, Peiman Raf and Mason Specter, describing tools that help  with their mental health, such as journaling and therapy  

Additionally, teachers are trained to model vulnerability so that students will understand that their difficult life experiences are welcome in the classroom, and to cultivate a sense of community and connection with students. The Kevin Love Fund offers free training for educators and school counselors on the pedagogy of modeling vulnerability. This is an evidence-based approach that is effective for 1st-12th grade across all subject areas. 

“In building upon existing non-profit and academic partnerships —- as well as forging new connections with teachers and school counselors, school district leaders, and administrators —, we are excited to bring our free curriculum and educator training to many more middle schools and high schools across the state,” said Dr. Ellie Foster, Co-Director of Education for the Kevin Love Fund. “Our one-hour arts-based training provides educators with best practices for supporting youth mental health.”  

In Massachusetts, the Ruderman Family Foundation is leading the expansion of innovative mental health programs in schools, the research and dissemination of knowledge to improve campus mental health policies and practices, the convening of higher education presidents and mental health staff, and mental health professional development training for faculty. 

To learn more about the curriculum and bring it to your school, please visit kevinlovefund.org/learn-more.  

ABOUT RUDERMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION 

The Ruderman Family Foundation is an internationally recognized organization that works to end the stigma associated with mental health. The Foundation does this by identifying gaps in mental health resources and programs within the high school and higher education communities as well as by organizing other local and national programming and initiatives that raise greater awareness around the stigma.  

The Ruderman Family Foundation believes that inclusion and understanding of all people is essential to a fair and flourishing community and imposes these values within its leadership and funding. For more information, please visit www.rudermanfoundation.org. 

ABOUT KEVIN LOVE FUND 

When professional basketball player Kevin Love publicly shared his personal story about challenges with mental health, he had no idea the movement it would create. One by one, fans and other high-profile celebrities began to share their own stories of fear and struggle. Quickly, a national conversation had begun.  

Kevin established the Kevin Love Fund (KLF) in 2017 to inspire people to live their healthiest lives while providing tools for both mental and physical health. Through a unique combination of education, research, grantmaking, and advocacy, KLF is breaking the stigma around mental health and ensuring people who are suffering have the support needed to thrive. For more information, please visit www.kevinlovefund.org. 

KLF is a fund of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. EIF is a Charity Navigator 4-Star Charity that meets all 20 BBB Charity Standards and carries the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency.

Robbin Mangano, Kevin Love Fund 

203.913.9813 

robbin@kevinlovefund.org