10th Annual Wellness Together Conference

This session will provide an update on the most recent legislative, fiscal and policy actions occurring at the state level as well as an analysis of the current political landscape and the opportunities for youth mental health services and funding.

Many school systems have adopted suicide prevention policies, yet translating policy into consistent practice remains a challenge. This session highlights a proven, scalable approach developed by the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) that has supported more than 30 districts and charter schools in strengthening suicide intervention systems and informed California Assembly Bill 2003.

Participants will explore a structured, data-informed framework for moving from policy adoption to operational practice from this replicable model. Presenters will share lessons learned from partnering with local education agencies to align procedures with policy expectations, establish clear intervention pathways, create consistent responses across school sites, and build local capacity to sustain implementation over time.

This session will examine how local systems-improvement efforts helped inform California AB 2003, demonstrating how county-level innovation can influence statewide policy. The legislation advances suicide prevention efforts by requiring reporting of suicide risk screening data and mandating the development of free statewide suicide prevention training for students, staff, and families.

Participants will leave with access to SDCOE’s award-winning Policy to Practice Suicide Intervention Toolkit and implementation replication guide, featuring evidence-informed protocols, customizable templates, decision-making tools, and practical implementation resources. Attendees will gain insight into the key systems, tools, and conditions that support equitable and effective responses to students experiencing suicidal ideation.

What happens when a room full of individuals starts singing together — and why can the effect feel so powerful?
Following the collective singing experience in the opening keynote, this interactive session explores the science and psychology behind singing together — and what it can teach us about supporting the wellbeing of young people.
James Sills will begin by exploring how singing can support the three interconnected pillars of health — physical, mental and social — before zooming out to examine the mechanisms that make collective singing so powerful: trust, participation, synchrony, psychological safety and belonging.
For educators and professionals working to support wellbeing in schools and colleges, the session will consider how these principles can help create environments where young people feel safer, more connected, more engaged and part of something bigger than themselves.
Drawing upon ideas from his first book, Do Sing, and introducing ideas from his upcoming book, The Choir Effect, James will combine research with stories and practical insights from schools, choirs, workplaces and communities — demonstrating how the lessons of the choir can reach far beyond music.

Session aims
Participants will:

• Understand how singing can support the physical, mental and social health of young people
• Explore how singing can support breathing, stress regulation, mood, confidence and emotional wellbeing
• Consider how shared music can help address social isolation and disconnection and strengthen a young person’s sense of belonging
• Discover the Icebreaker Effect and why strangers who sing together can bond surprisingly quickly
• Understand how synchrony — coordinating our voices, breathing, attention and behaviour — can strengthen social bonds and move us from “me” towards “we”
• Explore why active participation can create deeper connection than passive observation
• Consider the importance of psychological safety, vulnerability and the stretch zone, particularly when inviting young people to participate
• Explore how shared rituals, collective flow, collective joy and peak moments can strengthen groups and school communities
• Translate these ideas beyond music into practical ways of creating greater trust, connection and belonging in schools and colleges