Phase II of Chelsea's Wellbeing Initiative: A Research-Practice Partnership

Abstract

Youth wellbeing is at risk in our country. Building on Phase I of this project (which was supported by the Schiller Institute in 2021-2022), this Phase II study will examine how public schools and community organizations come together to develop a citywide Mental Health Campaign to promote youth wellbeing in the aftermath of a global pandemic. Our focus is the town of Chelsea, MA. Chelsea was at the epicenter of the pandemic with some of the highest rates of illness and death, financial hardships, and a halt to in-person school and additional services that lasted over a year. 
Phase II of our mixed methods study leverages a unique community endeavor to address mental health concerns through the Chelsea Children’s Cabinet. The Cabinet includes 30 local community leaders from the school district, social service and health agencies, government including the city manager and housing authority, and non-profit organizations. As a core partner in this work since its inception (captured in Phase I), our research team will focus on these research questions:

1. How do stakeholders across roles and institutions understand youth wellbeing in a community context? 
2. How can we co-design a Mental Health Campaign to address youth wellbeing in context? 
3. What are the outcomes of engaging in our PDR process for those involved? How does it shape their own perspectives on youth wellbeing in Chelsea?

Presentations

• Lima Becker, M., Lowenhaupt, R., Oliveira, G., Lai, B.S., *Hegseth, W. (2022,November). It’s always been the case: Community leaders’ pandemic sensemaking in a cross-sector collaborative. University Council for Education Administration Conference. Seattle, Washington.
• Lowenhaupt, R., Lai, B.S., Oliveira, G., Abeyta, A., & Jennings, A. (2022, April).Community leaders’ sensemaking of environmental jolts: A case study of pandemic responses. Presented at the American Educational Research Association. San Diego, California.
• *Aubé, S., *Riobueno-Naylor, A., *Lima Becker, M., *Hayes, J., Lowenhaupt, R., Oliviera, G., & Lai, B.S. (2022, August). For the Community, From the Community: A Town’s Children’s Cabinet. Division 27: Community Psychology [Online Poster Session]. American Psychological Association Convention.
• Lowenhaupt, R., Lai, B.S., & Oliveira, G. (2023, January).The Collaborative Design of a Children’s Cabinet: A Case Study of One Cross-Sector Initiative in Response to the Global Pandemic. Presented at the International Congress for School Effectiveness & Improvement. Vina del Mar, Chile.
• Lowenhaupt, R., Lai, B.S., Oliveira, G., *Alford, B. (2023, April). The Collaborative Design of a Children’s Cabinet: A Cross-Sector Initiative to support Child Wellbeing. American Educational Research Association annual conference. Chicago, IL.
• Lowenhaupt, R., Lai, B.S., Oliveira, G., Jennings, A. & *Alford, B. (2023, April). The Collaborative Design of a Children’s Cabinet: A Cross-Sector Initiative to Support Child Wellbeing. The American Educational Research Association annual conference. Chicago, IL.
• Hegseth, W. Lowenhaupt, R., Lai, B.S., Oliveira, G., *Lima-Becker, M., & *Alford, B. (2022). Community leaders’ sensemaking of environmental jolts. University Council for Education Administration Conference. Seattle, Washington.
• *Herge, W., Lowenhaupt, R., Oliveira, G., & Lai, B.S. (2023, November). Leadership for Situated, Systemic Wellbeing: A Framework Informed by a Cross-Sector Children’s Cabinet. University Council for Educational Administration. Minneapolis, MN.

Publications 

• Hegseth, W., Lowenhaupt, R., Bruhn, S., Oliveira, G., Lai, B. (Accepted, 2024). Toward a Framework for Educational Leadership for Well-being. Journal of Ethics in Educational Leadership.
• Lowenhaupt, R., Oliveira, G., Lima Becker, M.*, Lai, B. (2024). Community Leaders’ Sensemaking of Environmental Jolts: Stabilizing and Silver Lining Framing of Disruption. Journal of Community Practice. 
  

Additional Grants

• The Youth Leadership Initiative: Schiller Institute Grants for Exploratory Collaborative Scholarship, Research in Targeted and Emerging Areas (SI-RITEA), $40,000. Awarded in 2023.
• Collaborative Fellowship at Boston College: “Chelsea’s Child Wellbeing Initiative: A District-Community-University Partnership”, $45,000. Granted for 2023-2024.
• William T. Grant Foundation Reducing Inequality President’s Special Initiative Grant ($50,000). Lowenhaupt, R. (PI), Lai, B. (Co-PI), Oliveira, G. (Co-PI), 2024-2025. Reducing Inequality through a Cross-Sector Network of Care for Immigrant-Origin Youth: A Mixed-Methods Case Study of the Chelsea Children’s Cabinet. 

Students Trained 

• 5 Undergraduate Students
  • Isabella Gomez
  • Sarah Quan
  • Valeria Ramos
  • Adeline Kim
  • Diane Chung
    
• 3 Graduate Students
  • Alexa Riobueno-Naylor
    
  • Mauricio Montes
  • Aneesa Wermers

Additional Accomplishments 

• Collaboration on a youth mental health campaign in Chelsea
• Partnership meetings with the Chelsea Children’s Cabinet
• Qualitative interview protocol developed and 28  interviews conducted  with youth at Chelsea High School  to understand how they conceptualize wellbeing and how they envision youth leadership
• Developed  a youth leadership summit, in collaboration with our community partners, to take place in July 2023 and recruited 12 student participants