Community Partnership Commits to Youth Well-Being: Meet the Core 4’s Jenny Parker and Cristal Lopez

In this series, we’ll highlight impactful mental and behavioral health best practices across Texas to inspire schools that are interested in developing similar opportunities for youth. 

The Core Four (i.e., Core 4) is a partnership between the City of San Marcos, Hays County, San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District, and Texas State University. This partnership provides positive youth development (PYD) opportunities for youth and facilitates community collaboration. 

When it comes to the Texas School Mental Health Framework, the Core 4 addresses multiple components of a comprehensive school mental health system including PYD, building relationships and decision-making skills, mental health promotion, leadership, family, and community engagement. 

Check out our conversation with Jennifer Parker, the Project AWARE community project manager at San Marcos CISD, and Cristal Lopez, Core 4 facilitator and youth services director at Community Action Inc. of Central Texas.

1) How did the Core Four get started? What was the need you were trying to meet with this partnership? 

Jenny: The district wanted to become part of this partnership because of the growing awareness that our team in San Marcos CISD and the university would benefit from working together. Our kids were also facing similar problems in the community at large which included a lack of resources to meet mental health needs. 

2) What are the steps your team made to implement this partnership? 

Jenny: The district looked at research and current trends to focus on the needs of our students and our future community. Research shows that students have a greater trajectory when they have the opportunity for early education, so one of the first steps was to propose a bond for Bonham Pre-K. 

This is when the Early Childhood Coalition began. As the different entities started to grow this work, they moved away from a volunteer board and established a paid position— officially launching the Core 4. 

On top of that, the district believed focusing on a career-ready workforce would help economically stimulate our community, which includes growing partnerships with our city and county resources. Ultimately, it was about realizing that we all play a role in the general well-being of our community, and when we come together we can build a healthier society. 

3) What funding did you use to support the Core Four? 

Jenny: Since this was a priority for the district, we decided to use general funds. 

4) How does your team use the Positive Youth Development framework? 

Cristal: I received extensive training on this framework through the Texas Youth Action Network. With the Core 4, we want to be mindful that positive youth development is a philosophy that you can embed into the work you’re already doing. The goal is to embed youth voices into the decision-making process, recognize them as equal partners at the table, and mutually learn from each other. 

Having the positive youth development philosophy as the foundation for the Core 4 ensures we’re creating space for youth voice. Currently, we have a Youth Task Force built into the Core 4, which serves as an advisory group and represents middle schoolers, high schoolers, and young adults ages 19 to 24. 

Jenny: For San Marcos CISD, we hope to use some of the framework as a template and understand what our youth are experiencing. As we get guidance from the group through this process, we want to develop that in our district and continue to create opportunities for students to be advisors in our decision-making. 

5) Can you share more about the impact this partnership has made in the community so far? What trainings or services have received the most positive response? 

Cristal: I want to highlight the collaborative work with Project AWARE and Jennifer. One of our initiatives is facilitating the San Marcos Texas Mental Health Coalition, and some goals include prioritizing education and awareness. 

We’ve done that by raising awareness of resources in the community, that those resources are accessible, and that there are enough training opportunities. Right now, we’re focused on rolling out Mental Health First Aid training. Our Youth Task Force also trained in Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) and we rolled out Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). 

We trained 336 community members and partners in 2023 at no cost. It’s a drop in the bucket, but we took that first step and had a lot of meaningful cross-collaborations between the Core 4 entities and other partners. 

Jenny: Also, we just confirmed that our entire staff will be trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid as part of our onboarding professional development at the beginning of the school year. 

We hope that the language and methods used here are the same as they are among the community, our law enforcement, our university students, our school staff, and so on. That can start building an avenue for us to have those conversations and break down mental health stigma. 

6) How is your team measuring success for the Core Four Partnership? 

Cristal: Although the guiding light for the partnership is our youth master plan from 2013, we always want to check in with our community. The Youth Task Force tracks progress primarily through membership, so we keep a pulse on the youth and make sure they meet their goals. 

For the coalition, one of my main goals was to create a steering committee to bring in the community as active participants in the decision-making process. One of our priorities is mental health and awareness, and we measured that through the number of individuals trained in Mental Health First Aid. 

Through a youth coalition working group, we also developed a community needs assessment that focused on youth, parents, and key stakeholders. That was a big win because it was a community-level survey that provided data on our current needs and our progress in addressing them over time. 

Jenny: This is where the Project AWARE team and that grant in this district are valuable because we’ve established goals that align with some of our coalition and agency partners’ goals. Some of those objectives are measured by the number of individuals trained in mental health awareness, workforce development training, and the number of policies developed. 

Cristal: Since the Core 4 also includes Hays County, the City of San Marcos, and Texas State University, there are other entities outside of the school district that are doing similar work. But what’s nice about this formalized partnership is that it allows everyone to be part of those conversations. 

It has helped us ensure that what the coalition is doing is not separate but instead complements and strengthens the work Jenny is accomplishing on behalf of the district and Project AWARE. 

7) What strategies have the Core Four used to get youth more engaged and open to sharing their voice? 

Cristal: We’ve primarily engaged young people through the Youth Task Force. We make sure that’s completely youth-led and give them a chance to provide guidance and recommendations. 

For example, when we developed a community needs assessment focused on youth last year, they were involved in that process from the beginning. We also connect with youth from different backgrounds, including those in private schools, homeschool, GED programs, and charter schools. 

What can be challenging is when providers or people who work with youth get stuck in this mindset of, “I already know what they need, and I’m going to provide X, Y, and Z service.” That’s not necessarily bad, but sometimes we need to pause and ask how we can include youth in that process. 

Jenny: From the school district’s perspective, we’re able to share the Core 4’s work with our students so they become interested in participating. They can see proof that youth voices are being heard and they can make a difference. The more authentic and transparent we are with them, the more they’ll want to engage. 

8) What did you learn from the process of establishing this partnership, and what advice do you have for others who want to try something similar? 

Jenny: My advice is to be willing to go for it. You don’t have to wait for everything to align to get the momentum going. Also, it can be hard to follow all the priorities a school district has, but with my role as a Community Project Manager at Project AWARE I dedicate time to update the district about the Core 4’s work. 

I’m fortunate to have a leadership team at San Marcos CISD that also has an interest in youth voice and mental health. Developing that environment at the foundational level and having a team that supports and trusts in the process is really important. 

Cristal: My advice would be to come to the table open-minded. Focus on what you all have in common and go from there. If you focus on all the different things you have going on, you can hit a wall. 

This formalized partnership allows for each entity to have a seat at the table. There’s a lot to be said for the key stakeholders in our local community to say “We’re prioritizing youth and young people, and we’re going to work towards that.” 

Learn more about building a comprehensive school mental health system 

Thank you to Jenny and Cristal for chatting with us about the Core 4 partnership and what they’ve learned along the way! If you have questions for their team, feel free to email them at youthservices@communityaction.com. 

Our Texas School Mental Health website provides school mental health leaders the tools they need to develop a comprehensive school mental health system. Visit our best practices page to learn more about resources and programs for schools.