Florida First Lady Promoting Resiliency Initiative

Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis announced the launch of a resiliency initiative for Florida schools to emphasize key character development skills including volunteerism, teamwork and problem solving, with major sports teams, organizations and athletes uniting to support the initiative to empower Florida students.

"Our goal is to rethink and reframe the way we talk about mental wellbeing in schools by promoting topics such as critical thinking, problem solving, responsibility, volunteerism, mentorship and physical activity," said Governor Ron DeSantis. "By partnering with Florida sports teams and athletes, students will become more engaged and excited to learn about resiliency. Resilient athletes and Floridians overcome setbacks and serve as role models highlighting why these critical skills are important."

Partnerships Include the Orlando Magic, Orlando City SC, Orlando Pride, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning, Inter Miami CF, Miami Heat, Miami Dolphins, Miami Marlins, Florida Panthers, NASCAR and the LPGA. Athletes endorsing the initiative Include David Beckham, Peyton Manning, Lou Holtz, Tony Dungy, Urban Meyer, Crystal Thomas, Ali Marpet, Bryant McFadden, Mark Richt, Twan Russell, Corey Simon, Tra Thomas, Jonathan Vilma, Jonathan Isaac, Charlie Ward, Tyler Johnson, Joey Logano, Brandon Lowe and Chris Mueller.

"Given the lessons I've learned traveling the state, we are changing the message on mental health and reframing it to resiliency and hope," said First Lady Casey DeSantis. "We want to empower our youth with the tools and the skillsets to be resilient by learning how to persevere through life's challenges. We know no one is immune from adversity and hardship. It's not whether you'll have challenges in life but it's about how you respond and persevere."

The partnership is supported by resiliency lessons and resources hosted on http://www.cpalms.org, Florida's premier one-stop-shop for teachers, students and families that helps bridge education in the classroom and at home. The toolkit can be found at https://www.cpalms.org/standards/Resiliency_Toolkit.aspx

For more information, visit the Florida Department of Education Newsroom at http://www.fldoe.org/newsroom/