The mission of the Jordan Porco Foundation is to prevent suicide, promote mental health, and create a message of hope for young adults. JPF provides engaging and uplifting programming emphasizing peer-to-peer messaging promoting help seeking behavior, self-care, and coping skills. Their programs challenge stigma by talking openly about mental health, and educating about the risk factors and warning signs of suicide and other related mental health concerns.
Through awareness, education, and innovative programming, JPF is challenging stigma around mental health and help-seeking, creating open conversations about the prevalence of suicide and mental health issues, and saving young adult lives.
Marisa Giarnella-Porco is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Jordan Porco Foundation (JPF). JPF was founded in 2011 after the Co-Founders lost their son, Jordan, to suicide when he was a freshman in college. Prior to starting the Jordan Porco Foundation, Marisa has worked in human services since 1985.
She obtained her Masters of Social Work from the University of Connecticut in Administration. Her employment experiences range from the CT Department of Children and Families to various positions with local mental health authorities in Eastern Connecticut. She has volunteered for decades in her community and is currently an active member of the CT Suicide Advisory Board.
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Segment 1
In the first segment of the episode, the interview begins with Tommy asking Marisa how she became involved in this type of non-profit work. Marisa responds by sharing about how she grew up seeing the different issues within her family which were not openly discussed due to stigma and shame surrounding mental health issues. This inspired Marisa to study psychology and sociology and this enabled her to develop an understanding of the troubles that affected her family and other members of society. As she continued her studies, she developed an understanding of systemic problems that contribute to mental health issues.
Segment 2
This segment begins with Melisa telling the story about how the organization came to be; she recounts the story about the circumstances and the aftermath of her son’s suicide. She describes her son, Jordan, as one of the last people who she ever expected would commit suicide. She discusses the expectations and ideas that must’ve led her son to feel isolated in that moment of his life. When Melisa decided to develop a program to promote suicide prevention and awareness, she first gathered the input from several individuals in order to develop a program that students would be willing to engage with. The program was very well received by students and the program was thus expanded to include more students. The foundation has since hosted hundreds of events which have impacted thousands of lives to date.
Segment 3
This segment begins with a discussion about the prevalence of suicide within society. Marisa shares a few stories about participants of her program whose lives were positively affected by the program: one young woman sought help after deciding against commiting suicide and another young woman realized, through her participation in the program, realized that she had been struggling with anxiety. Marisa and Tommy then discuss the specific mental health challenges faced by young people due to phenomena such as social media. Finally, Marisa offers a few ways in which young people can navigate these challenges.
Segment 4
In the final segment, Marisa emphasizes the significance of mental health programs, especially for college students. She frames the work of her organization as a form of preventative care which helps to prevent deeper and more significant mental health problems later in their lives. Marissa and Tommy highlight the importance of social work and share some information about how to get involved with the organization.
