MOULTRIE, Ga. — Community leaders, social workers, political figures and business owners gathered at the old Southern Regional Technical College campus Tuesday for the Colquitt County Stakeholders Meeting, hosted by NAMI Moultrie.

Colquitt County was selected as one of two pilot sites in Georgia for CIT Youth – Georgia’s Youth in Crisis, a recent initiative designed to introduce programs that provide a continuum of support and care for the children of our community.

The stakeholder meeting introduced the program continuum and education goals of the NAMI Georgia Youth in Crisis initiative and invited anyone in the community that directly works with the youth of the county.

Moultrie Mayor William McIntosh welcomed the stakeholders and shared his concern on mental health and the effect it could have on the youth of the Colquitt County area.

McIntosh is serving as the Champion for Youth for Colquitt County and is also the judge of the juvenile court.

“This is something that has come to the forefront,” he said. “All we have to do is pick up the newspaper today to see the crying need for mental health services in our country, especially here in Moultrie.”

“I see young people and I see young people that work with the juvenile court here,” McIntosh said. “You recognize that if certain services were available to them, that those kind of problems in that court would be minimized to a great extent.

“The need is there,” he said.

Kathleen Elmiger from NAMI Georgia introduced the four programs to the stakeholders in attendance.

Georgia Youth in Crisis, NAMI Basics, Parents and Teachers as Allies, and Ending the Silence are the four programs that discuss topics on behavioral health issues relevant to children and young adults.

Dates for the classes haven’t been finalized except for the Georgia Youth in Crisis Train the Trainer class in Atlanta, Ga., June 6 through June 8.

“The first people we’re trying to get into these classes are school resource officers,” Elmiger said. “They’re the forefront in our school, along with our educators and counselors.”

Elmiger described the four programs, sharing the different components of each.

Georgia Youth in Crisis is a class primarily for law enforcement and those who have already completed Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training.

NAMI Basics is a class for parents and other family caregivers of children and adolescents who have been diagnosed with severe emotional disturbances health conditions or are experiencing symptoms.

Parents and Teachers as Allies is a presentation for teachers and school personnel to raise awareness about mental illness by recognizing the early warning signs and intervention.

Ending the Silence is designed for middle and high school aged youth to teach them the symptoms of mental illness and teaches how to help themselves and support others who may be affected.

“We’re here today to come together as a community to pull our resources together and help our youth and our families,” Elmiger said.