Your Name 123 Your Street Your City, ST 12345 (123) 456-7890 no_reply@example.com 4th September 20XX Name of Recipient Position, Company Name 123 Address St Anytown, ST 12345 To whom it may concern, My name is ___Your Name ___, I am a parent of a student at __Your School or Community__ and I strongly believe the PASS kit should be added to your mental health activities to support students’ stress management for their studies. I came across the PASS kit when I was looking up stress management tools for my child and I really appreciate their company’s practical and empathetic perspective. The PASS kit is a ‘first aid kit for mental health’ created by PASS (Panic, Anxiety, & Stress Support Inc.) a social venture in Kitchener, Canada, and is used by campuses and workplaces worldwide. Each kit includes earplugs, an eye mask, chewing gum, a squeezable stress toy, and a set of flashcards with tweet-length mental health advice for easy comprehension during times of overwhelming stress. Each item included was carefully considered with scientific reasoning. The earplugs and eye mask help reduce anxiety by blocking external stressors (e.g. noise and light), the gum and squeezable stress star help stimulate the muscles and senses to help “snap out of a bad thought pattern”, and the flash cards contain straightforward advice and relaxation techniques based off of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Over 60% of Canadian university students say they experienced above average or tremendous stress within the last 12 months, and 42% of students felt that their academic performance had been impacted by stress (NCHA, 2016). Health Canada (2007) states high stress can also lead students to experience “poor sleep, inadequate nutrition, difficulty concentrating, and bad coping mechanisms such as heavy alcohol use.” Students may feel their situation is not severe enough to warrant formal solutions for mental health issues such as counselling or helplines. Although informal options such as talking to friends, peer support, and self-help literature exist, they may not be right for everyone. My child might not be ready to talk about their experiences with others, and pamphlets are too text heavy to engage them in a moment of stress. To prevent students from developing unhealthy coping behaviours for unresolved stress, the PASS kit can guide the adoption of sustainable coping strategies. The PASS kit teaches evidence-based methods to manage the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress experienced. The PASS kit has already been shown to have positive results. Individuals worldwide have reported PASS kits’ aid in stress management and have adopted it into their lifestyles - with 48% users continuing use after 4 months in an early pilot. As a parent, the wellbeing of my child is most important which is why I’m encouraging the integration of wonderful resources like the PASS kit at __Your School or Community__. Not everyone can adapt so quickly to the drastic change from highschool to postsecondary and newfound independence from support systems like family and friends can feel isolating. These new stressors test a student’s stress management skills and if they aren’t sufficient, this can cause bad habits such as binge drinking or mental health issues like anxiety to develop. Having a resource that can encourage sustainable coping mechanisms for students to prepare them for the inevitable stress they will face in the future is a much more sustainable alternative. Inclusion of the PASS kits will also help stimulate a more open conversation about stress and mental health at __Your School or Community__, helping to reduce stigma in the community and internally so they feel more comfortable talking about it in the future. __Your School or Community__ would also be providing a valuable resource that bridges the “gap” between awareness and professional help by aiding to manage symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress if individuals feel their situation isn’t severe enough to warrant formal solutions such as therapy. Therapy itself is hard to access, costs a bit out of pocket, and the reimbursement procedure is stressful when you are doing it for the first time. Users, ranging from students, and parents, to instructors and entrepreneurs, testify that: “PASS kit does an excellent job of assisting anyone through symptoms of panic, anxiety and stress.” - Mental Health First Aid trainer. “It helped me get organized and gave me direction when I didn’t know what to do.” - Undergraduate Student, Mathematics. “PASS kit allows me to feel comfortable that we are providing a tangible resource.” - Residence Life Manager. “Fantastic. I love the flash cards to help problem solve when you’re not functioning at full capacity and can’t think clearly. I’m sure there’s further resources listed. Top marks 💯.” - Mother “This kit could be helpful for all age groups and education levels.” - Father On behalf of my child and all students, I highly urge you to incorporate the PASS kit as a resource at __Your School or Community__ to enhance the wellbeing of students and the mental health culture and conversation. For more information on PASS inc., visit mypasskit.com or contact Tina@mypasskit.com directly. Sincerely, ___Your Name ___