Buddy Check For Jesse

Buddy Check for Jesse

Volleyball Manitoba has partnered with Buddy Check for Jesse in 2024 to help club volleyball coaches bring mental health awareness to their players.

Support mental health by participating in ‘Buddy Check for Jesse’, a program created in memory of Jesse Short-Gershman. Buddy Check for Jesse was developed for Coaches to deliver to their teams. It began with Jesse’s dad, Dr. Stu Gershman, wanting to help his other two boys feel supported and to make their teammates know how important mental health is.

Stu believes that Coaches are in a unique position to share a message to help raise awareness about mental health issues in their youth participants. Coaches are respected by their players and the players can benefit knowing that their coaches care about them. The idea is to create an environment where teammates support one another and are more aware of potential mental health issues so they are prepared to step in with support when they see a teammate, friend or family member struggling.

Stu’s goal is to destigmatize mental health challenges and to empower and encourage youth and young adults to support one another. He believes that it is our youth that can help change the future and promote kindness, compassion, and tolerance in our communities. Hopefully this will allow more individuals to come forward and receive the help that exists. Only then will our poor statistics and stigmatization of mental health challenges/illnesses be impacted in a meaningful way.

More information on Buddy Check for Jesse can be found on their website below.

2024 Volleyball Manitoba Buddy Check for Jesse Events

This year, we will be hosting multiple Buddy Check for Jesse Events at our Volleyball Manitoba Premier Tournaments. Coaches will able to receive packages for their team that include some Buddy Check for Jesse swag, including bag tags, laptop/phone stickers, wristbands, green tape, and a few other surprise items! As a Coach, we ask that you and your assistants prepare a 10-minute talk to have with your team to open the conversation up about mental health (after you have received these packages at your age appropriate Premier Event).

PLEASE NOTE: This talk is in no way asking you to be an expert in mental health. It’s about bringing mental health awareness to your team and opening up the conversation about mental health. The talk is meant to remind players to be good teammates both on and off the court and to remind them that we never truly know how someone is feeling, so “Buddy Checking” is one way of showing support to their teammates and creating a safe place for them to go through whatever they may be going through.