LOS ANGELES (MAY 9, 2012) – Councilmember Bernard Parks led the City Council today in declaring May 9th “Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day in the City of Los Angeles,” with focus this year on building resilience in children dealing with trauma, and on reaching new audiences in Spanish.
“For too many local youth, untreated trauma leads to serious psychological problems in childhood and in adulthood,” said Councilmember Parks, who was joined by Council-member Jan Perry in introducing today’s proclamation. “When left undiagnosed, trauma leaves youth more vulnerable to substance abuse, depression, and academic failure. This month, we call on adults throughout the City to learn how to recognize early signs of trauma and seek assistance from community resources, and to build resilience in children through praise.”
Councilmember Parks acknowledged this year’s efforts by Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic and El Clasificado – the most accessible free Spanish language publication in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area – to jointly bring awareness efforts to 1.5 million weekly readers in May. “Today we join advocates across the county in supporting social and emotional well-being in our children and youth through National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day,” said Mr. Parks. “Locally, I commend Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic and El Clasificado for partnering to get the message to families who otherwise might not hear it because of language barriers.”
El Clasificado and Clinic staff worked closely this year to develop an interactive promotion for parents and readers to explore in May, designed to encourage adults to build childhood resilience through praise. Through a “word search” contest focused on positive phrases adults can use with children, readers are submitting completed puzzles for prizes designed to promote family interaction – including bilingual refrigerator magnets with “100 Ways to Praise a Child.”
“El Clasificado’s team is expert at mobilizing Spanish language readers through fun, interactive contests,” said César Portillo, VP of Advancement for Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic. “Through this promotion donated by El Clasificado, we’ve joined our expertise with theirs this year to build community wellness across language barriers.” With over 4,600 El Clasificado street racks located along major avenues and boulevards in Latino communities – and 22,000 targeted sites throughout Latino neighborhoods – El Clasificado enjoys a verified circulation of 480,000 weekly copies, and over 1.5 million weekly readers.
“We are especially grateful to El Clasificado CEO Martha de la Torre and her creative team for donating their talents and skills to this year’s effort,” said Mr. Portillo. “Ms. de la Torre’s leadership on our Clinic board of directors has always been generous, and the team’s effort to support children in our community is inspiring!”
“El Clasificado and our new monthly El Punto were created as tributes to all Latino families who seek help to better their lives and that of their children,” said Ms. de la Torre. “We are happy to partner with the Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic to inform, educate and enlighten our community in a Spanish friendly manner on how to deal with children and their mental health.” Mr. Portillo also thanked Councilmember Parks for his continued leadership in raising awareness for a fourth consecutive year, and noted the Clinic is also making widely available free, bilingual “100 Ways to Praise A Child” refrigerator magnets through its website, www.lachild.org .
About Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic:
Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic empowers South and Central L.A.’s children and young adults to get on track to success – to reach goals in school, build healthy relationships, and enjoy emotional well-being. Our team of compassionate professionals offers behavioral counseling and support to individuals and families.
About El Clasificado:
El Clasificado is an EC Hispanic company that provides a marketplace for Spanish speaking audiences throughout the United States and different Latin America countries via its website www.elclasificado.com This property deliver 10 million page views and over 500,000 unique visitors monthly. El Clasificado’s print publication extends from the Central Valley of California to San Diego with a distribution of 480,000 weekly issues. EC Hispanic media also owns El Punto, a monthly publication catering to LA Hispanics.
