Each morning across our community, students arrive at school with backpacks full of books, tablets, and supplies, but they are also carrying invisible backpacks. Their invisible backpacks are frequently filled with heavy burdens like abuse, anxiety, depression, divorce, poverty, and more. These challenges make school (and life) much more difficult and often lead to destructive behaviors, including alcohol or drug use, bullying, self-harm, suicide, and other forms of violence. Youth First Social Workers and programs are embedded in schools buildings to help children unpack these invisible backpacks and replace their burdens with dreams, skills, confidence, and hope.
