The QC Hearts and Minds Youth Workgroup of the Quad City Health Initiative (QCHI) is proud to be partnering with the Rock Island County Regional Office of Education and Scott County Kids to bring the Stand Up! Change Teen Statistics theater program to our local high schools.  Presented by the R.Ed.I. Arts and Education Foundation, Stand Up! Change Teen Statistics is a 50-minute live prevention theater show based on interviews with over 90 teens.  Stand Up! delivers important statistics and information in an engaging format thus helping to raise awareness, encourage healthy behaviors and provide resources to assist teens with issues they face during adolescence.  The show is unique for its ability to target issues on a peer to peer level in frank and clear "teen" language.  The show tackles challenging topics such as drug abuse, teen sex, depression, alcohol abuse, self worth, suicide and internet threats.  Additional information about the show is available at www.redifoundation.org. 

During the week of October 22nd, the Stand Up! cast will give 11 performances to an estimated 3,400 high school students across our community.   Twelve high schools across multiple school districts have worked as partners to facilitate the Stand Up! performances for local audiences. 

"The QC Hearts and Minds Youth Workgroup seeks to identify and assist youth with mental and behavioral health concerns," says workgroup member Megan Heffernen.  "Performances of Stand Up! provide a great springboard for teens and adults to have open discussions about issues facing youth today." To facilitate this dialogue, the community is invited to attend a free performance of Stand Up! to be given at  4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 23rd in the Nighswander Junior Theater, 2815 Eastern Avenue, Davenport.  Community leaders, school personnel, parents, high school students and anyone interested in the well-being of today's youth are invited to attend.  (Due to mature themes, the show is not recommended for students below 8th grade.)

The R.Ed.I. Arts and Education Foundation has performed the Stand Up! show in many communities across the United States but this is the first time a community has orchestrated a week-long series of presentations across two states and multiple school districts.  "I applaud the tireless efforts of the partners to bring the STAND UP! Change Teen Statistics program to the schools and to the Quad City community as a whole," says Kimberly Farah, Executive Director for the R.Ed.I. Arts and Education Foundation.  "The coordinated effort has been awe-inspiring and we are proud to be part of this undertaking that will serve as a model for other communities across our nation."

Local funding for the Stand Up! performances was provided by Edgerton Women's Health Center, Quad City Bank & Trust, Rock Island County Probation Services, Scott County Regional Authority and United Way of the Quad Cities Area.  "Stand Up! highlights the need for more focus around youth mental health," says Dave Green, co-chair of United Way of the Quad Cities Health Council.  "United Way has brought experts around the table to examine how we can increase access to services for youth.  Stand Up! is a great first step in raising awareness of this issue in our community and encouraging Quad-City youth to talk about mental health issues."

The Quad City Health Initiative is a community partnership working to create a healthy community.  A 25-member community Board that was established in 1999 oversees the organization.  The Initiative seeks to be our community’s recognized leader for creating collaborative action on health and abides by the core values of commitment, collaboration and creativity.  The QC Hearts and Minds Team was created in 2008 to promote mental health as integral to our overall heath and well-being.  Major financial support of the Quad City Health Initiative is currently provided by the generous direct and in-kind investments of Genesis Health System and Trinity Regional Health System. In 2012, additional financial support is provided by St. Ambrose University, KJWW and Midland Information Resources.