To recognize National Veterans and Military Families Month, FORUM recently hosted a roundtable on the topic of Fostering Resilience in Military Youth: Supporting Families, Breaking Stigmas and Strengthening our Military Community.
Liz Porter, president of Leidos Health Group, led the discussion and was joined by Besa Pinchotti, CEO of the National Military Family Association (NMFA) and Steve Schwab, CEO of the bipartisan Elizabeth Dole Foundation and Hidden Heroes Foundation.
A mental health crisis is brewing amongst our military youth who often face isolating and stressful circumstances due to military moves, deployed parent(s), or the responsibility of giving care to a veteran parent. Pinchotti shared that some 53% of military youth have a moderate well being score, while 37% fall in the low category; numbers that are staggering when compared to average non-military youth. Additionally, if a child is living with and/or caring for an injured or ill service member, the well-being scores drop further. This last category of children, referred to as Hidden Helpers, are tasked with responsibilities ranging from cooking, cleaning and supervising siblings to paying bills or working to supplement family income.
Schwartz emphasized the epidemic nature of the situation and feels that making connections to alleviate isolation and removing the stigma around mental health is crucial for stemming the trend. Though several organizations exist to help connect and support military youth, awareness of these resources remains low.
One of these resources, BLOOM, is an online support group founded by two military youth who took to technology to give kids a place to connect through shared experiences. Pinchotti expanded on NMFA’s Operation Purple Camps which bring military children from all over the country together for a week of fun and the chance to just be kids. The benefit is twofold, campers are afforded the opportunity to step out of the stress of daily life but also interact with counselors trained to watch for troubling mental health signs.
Both Schwartz and Pinchotti agree that communicating to military children that it’s a sign of strength to ask for help thus removing the stigma surrounding mental health is the foundation of empowerment. Especially when you consider that military families often find themselves in new communities with no knowledge of programs available, and in classrooms with teachers often unaware of the challenges military students face.
The roundtable highlighted that collaboration and education are key to helping our military youth live balanced, healthy and fruitful lives. Organizations like NMFA, The Dole Foundation and the Hidden Helper Foundation are laying the groundwork in support of our military youth and the specific trials they face daily.
Check out the video HERE.
Roundtable Participant Biographies
Liz Porter (host and discussion leader) is the president of Leidos Health Group, an organization that provides services and solutions in digital transformation, enterprise IT modernization, health analytics, mental health counseling and services, care enablement, and biomedical innovation. She has held several leadership positions at Leidos, including Senior Vice President and Operation Manager for Leidos’ Federal Energy & Environment business, and as the Department of Defense Information Networks & Mission Partner Program Director. Prior to joining Leidos, she worked at Lockheed Martin where she led the development and execution of the energy campaign.
Besa Pinchotti (panelist) is the CEO of the National Military Family Association (NMFA)and has served in various leadership roles within the organization since 2013. She is an award-winning journalist who has covered topics related to the military experience, including deployments, casualties, and the impact of military life on families.
Steve Schwab (panelist) currently serves as CEO of the bipartisan Elizabeth Dole Foundation and Hidden Heroes. After serving as the National Cathedral’s chief fundraising and communications leader and senior staff for a Democratic mayor, Schwab launched a consulting practice focused on program innovation in the nonprofit, civic, and healthcare sectors.
