Getting Started

Nine Steps to Get Started

Whether you are new to Nourishing Minds and are looking for a simple overview, or need a quick refresher, these nine steps show the highlights of creating, running and improving your NM sessions

Study the Cookbook

Read and study the Nourishing Minds cookbook to understand mental health conversation goals. We explain what it means to create a Brave Space for sessions and provide tips for using Co-design principles for teen engagement.

Review Sample Recipes

Review successful Nourishing Minds recipes to see how the Nourishing Minds cards are used to create activities for the session. Familiarize yourself with the cards. There are six unique categories for building recipes: Warm-up, Topic, Co-design activity, Tools & Materials, Opportunity, and Constraint.

Follow

Take a successful recipe from the cookbook and follow it to create your first session. SKIP TO STEP 5.

OR Build

Try building your own recipe with the Nourishing Minds cards. Use the placemat to guide your thoughts and sequence of activities for the session.

Select a Topic

Begin by selecting a Topic card and decide on an outcome to guide your session. All recipes should include A–D. Add E and F for more complex recipes as shown on the placemat.

a. Select a Topic card and outcome to guide the session

b. Add a Warm-up activity to get everyone in the right frame of mind.

c. Select a Co-design activity/strategy that supports to your Topic.

d. Add Tools & Materials card(s) based on what you might need during the session.

e. For a more advanced recipe, add an Opportunity card to create a program with new and interesting possibilities

f. Add a Constraint card to see how you can be creative with limitations and challenges

Prepare a Session Plan

Create a session plan outlining the flow of the recipe activities and timing. Include logical points to take breaks. Tip: Do a run-though with another staff member.

Gather Materials

Use the Tools & Materials cards to aid you in deciding what you need for the session. Gather supplies for prototyping ideas, brainstorming, and making fun stuff: pencils, markers, sticky notes, arts and crafts supplies, magazines in advance. And remember to bring some snacks!

Facilitate the Session

Clearly explain the co-design activity and check teen understanding. Facilitate the session, guiding conversations with thoughtful questions along the way. Use your session plan as a guide to keep you on track and on time.

Reflect and Iterate

Ask for feedback from participants and co-workers. Reflect on insights gained and iterate on the recipe design to improve it for the next time. Use these learnings and insights to smooth out the flow of the next session.

Sharing These Steps: Meet the Quick Guide

The steps above are taken directly from our “Nourishing Minds Quick Guide”. The Quick Guide is a printed, accordion folded reference document (like a folded map!) that is great to share with your team. It also contains some additional background information about Nourishing Minds and is a great way to quickly share with others the main concepts of the program. We highly recommend choosing an option below to print it yourself or to order a professional print-on-demand copy of the guide.

Guiding Philosophies

Program Essentials