Skodel was founded on a strong belief that checking in should be a purposeful and deliberate part of every school community. We knew that rapid social, cultural and technological changes were presenting different psychological challenges. The very word ‘disruption’ had become the marker for innovation. And yet, for all the advancements we had made across every objective measure of well being available, mental illness continued to rise. Perhaps most concerning was that very few (18-34%) would speak out, even if they were under severe psychological distress. This makes proactive approaches to wellbeing immensely challenging as problems often remain under the surface.

Skodel Check-In was built to unlock those voices by providing engaging outlets to tell it how it is, and then translating this into simple and powerful stories that would be heard and actioned by those that could provide additional support. What began as a way to identify potential wellbeing issues before they became problems, quickly turned into something more as we noticed students weren’t just expressing concerns, but also accomplishments, hopes and passions. Ultimately, we were helping foster stronger teacher-student relationships through the simple act of checking-in. Students knew they were being cared for and listened to. Students had a voice that was being heard and acted on.