ABOUT US
Founded in 2013, Pop Culture Hero Coalition is the first 501(c)(3) organization to use evidence-based psychology in combination with heroic characters and stories, teaching social emotional learning and bullying prevention in ways that children and teens find relatable.
Our work:
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Is based on key research.
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Is created by pop-culture-fluent clinical psychologists and veteran educators.
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Is rooted in Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) principals.
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Features the prevention and treatment of all forms of bullying, physical and psychological violence, inequity, and discrimination.
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Incorporates restorative practices as a core component.
In 2021, our Heroic Journey Curriculum for K - 8th grade is impacting approximately 200,000 children and their parents through our national Partnership with YMCA USA.
Available for Schools • Online Events • Community Centers
Children’s Hospitals • Homes During COVID
WHY WE DO THIS
Every child deserves to be mentally healthy. And secure, empathetic, and resilient kids are the key to a positive future for us all.
But research shows kids are often focused on more urgent issues: depression, anxiety, fear, shame, loneliness, self-doubt, anger, addiction, and suicidal ideation.
The Heroic Journey harnesses the phenomenon of stories kids love, along with evidence-based psychology — and teaches them to be heroes, for themselves and for each other.
[1] CDC, NCIPC. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. (2010) {2013 Aug. 1}. Available from:www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.
[2] CDC. (2011). Sexual Identity, Sex of Sexual Contacts, and Health-Risk Behaviors Among Students in Grades 9-12: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
[3] CDC. (2011). Sexual Identity, Sex of Sexual Contacts, and Health-Risk Behaviors Among Students in Grades 9-12: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
[4] Grossman, A.H. & D'Augelli, A.R. (2007). Transgender Youth and Life-Threatening Behaviors. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behaviors.37(5), 527-37.
[5] Family Acceptance Projectâ„¢. (2009). Family rejection as a predictor of negative health outcomes in white and Latino lesbian, gay, and bisexual young adults. Pediatrics. 123(1), 346-52.
[6] CDC. (2011). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance – United States, 2011. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
[7] CDC. (2011). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance – United States, 2011. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
[8] IMPACT. (2010). Mental health disorders, psychological distress, and suicidality in a diverse sample of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths. American Journal of Public Health. 100(12), 2426-32.
[9] JAMA Pediatrics Network study, 2013.
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