Our Mission
Our mission is to reduce mental health stigma and increase awareness and education about various mental health issues, especially in younger children.
Many elementary schools do not provide health classes or have a curriculum that adequately covers mental health. By cultivating the resources and curriculum for young children to learn about mental health, we aim to empower young students and prepare them to become healthy and equipped citizens!
We believe in the power of education to reduce stigma. Studies have shown that education campaigns can significantly reduce mental health stigma and education from a young age, and are especially important as many mental illnesses start in childhood. We provide free resources, curricula, and give presentations to local churches, elementary schools, boys and girls scout troops, and other youth gatherings. We equip youth with the knowledge needed to know how to deal with their mental struggles, recognize them in others, support those they love, and combat common myths regarding mental illness.
Meet the Team
Firefly is a youth-run organization supervised by professionals. Many of the people on our team have dealt with mental illness themselves or have loved ones who struggle with it. We understand first hand what it’s like and we are dedicated to helping others who face similar challenges. Here are the people behind the scenes!
Sarah Liu
President
Sarah is a junior in high school. She founded Firefly because she has witnessed firsthand how dangerous the stigma surrounding mental health issues is, and wanted mental health education to be accessible to young children in order to cultivate tolerance in future generations. Sarah is also an environmental activist, artist, school newspaper editor, and robotics team captain.
Maureen Sweeney
Professional Advisor
Maureen Sweeney, LICSW, has approved and collaborated in creating the Firefly Project’s published content. Maureen earned a master’s degree in social work from the Smith College School for Social Work, and currently owns a private psychotherapy practice. She has over three decades of experience in social work.
Belinda Wu
Social Media Manager
Belinda is a senior in high school who is a ballet dancer and a climate activist. In both workspaces, she advocates for mental health and believes in spreading awareness through education. She joined Firefly as the social media lead due to her experiences with activism on the web.
Aryan Naryan
Content Editor
Aryan is a junior in high school passionate about writing and the natural sciences. He believes in the importance of mental health in the context of overall health. He thus joined Firefly, hoping to effectively promote greater understanding of mental health while combining his interests and skills in his position as content director.
Catherine Tan
Team Member
Catherine is a junior in high school who enjoys sketching and painting. She believes that awareness and understanding of mental health should be taught to students beginning at a young age. She joined firefly in order to help educate students on this topic, and make information about mental health more readily available to those who need it.
Robin Pan
Vice President
Robin is a junior in high school who believes strongly in making mental health education more accessible to create a stronger and healthier future generation. As a competitive debater and science olympiad member, she hopes to use her communication skills and passion for science to further Firefly’s mission.
Anna Zhang
Web Designer
Anna is a high school junior with a passion for programming and graphic design. She strongly believes in mental health awareness and joined Firefly as a web designer in the hopes of using her interests and skills to support the fight against mental health stigma by spreading educated awareness of mental health issues.
Maya Shimron
Research Director
Maya is a junior in high school who likes photography, videography, and dance. They joined Firefly to educate students on mental health and share their experiences with it. They believe that with the proper education, we can make mental illness much less scary and more manageable for those who suffer from them.
Sophie Hua
Team Member
Sophie is a junior at LHS and is passionate about photography and art. She is also interested in helping others, so she joined Firefly with the vision of raising awareness about the importance of mental health. As a member of the research team, Sophie is hoping to further educate younger students about mental health issues and how to fight the stigma.