Making Mental Health a Priority
The Cigna Group Partnership Offers Support, Resources for Club Teens & Tweens
On average, 1 in every 5 youth deal with a mental health issue. Connecticut’s statistics are right in line with the national picture, but there is one place our state stands out. According to Mental Health America, Connecticut has the second lowest prevalence of youth mental illness and the second highest rate of access to care for youth. This is, in part, due to programs offered by Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford (BGCH) and our community partners at The Cigna Group.
After the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated mental health issues, including isolation and loneliness, BGCH made a commitment to provide mental health resources and help young people manage their emotions and build resiliency as part of our Health & Wellness pillar.
This mission has been made easier by partners at The Cigna Group. The Bloomfield, Conn. based insurer says they, too, recognized the need for resources to improve the health of youth, particularly post-pandemic stress and distress. Through The Cigna Group Foundation, they set specific goals to grow programming reach and increase the access to care and support for young people. To help achieve these goals, they partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, with support for local organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford.
“Since we started this work a year ago, we’re already seeing positive impacts in several communities. We’re grateful for these partnerships, knowing the work we want to do can’t be done alone,” said Melissa Skottegaard, The Cigna Group Foundation’s board chair.
"The kits are a bridge for open dialogue between our members and the volunteers."
The partnership kicked off last summer when The Cigna Group donated dozens of bikes from Manchester Cycle Shop to BGCH teens. The teens were given the opportunity to pick out their own bike, giving them a sense of autonomy. The donation directly supports efforts to build resilience and improve overall health. With the bikes, members are making healthy choices, getting exercise, reducing their stress and anxiety and improving their moods. In addition, with grant funding from The Cigna Group Foundation, Clubs across the country, including here in Hartford, are using trauma-informed practices.
“We’re collaborating to meet kids and teens where they are, with tools and language to better manage their emotions,” Skottegaard said. “I’m especially proud of the teen-specific guide Boys & Girls Clubs of America is launching, which will help equip teens to talk about their mental health.”
Those conversations are also happening during employee engagement events. Volunteers from The Cigna Group are building mental health kits with our teens and tweens. So far in 2025, events have been held at the South End Boys & Girls Club and the Samuel S. Gray, Jr. Boys & Girls Club at Asylum Hill. In small groups or partnered pairs, The Cigna Group employees and BGCH youth are assembling kits for our members to take home and to leave at the Club for anyone to use. These mental health kits include journals for self-reflection, stress balls for tension relief, mindfulness infinity loops to promote focus and beaded fidget keychains for grounded sensory engagement. Teens are given the freedom to choose a Cigna volunteer to work with, sparking organic and meaningful conversations.
“Throughout the event, the act of creating the wellness kits together became a bridge for open dialogue between our members and the volunteers. Many young people struggle to express their emotions, but having a supportive adult engage in a hands-on activity with them provides a comfortable, safe space for communication,” said Cat Pagan, Workforce Readiness Director at the Samuel S. Gray, Jr. Boys & Girls Club at Asylum Hill.
The Cigna Group employees reacted just as positively. Skottegaard says 100 percent of the employees who have participated in the engagement events said they enjoyed the event, calling it fun, uplifting and engaging. They also expressed feeling more connected to their teammates and to the community, adding it was, “special to hear from Hartford Club leaders about how the items would be used by the kids.”
While The Cigna Group has been a long-time partner of Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford, the mental health focus is relatively new but has the potential to do more good for young people in Hartford. It’s expected to continue to grow and expand over the coming months, helping more teens and tweens at all five Clubs and BGCH’s school sites.
“We’re really excited to be teaming up with Boys & Girls Clubs to tackle the critical mental health needs of our youth. It’s clear this is a big issue that no single person or organization can handle alone,” Skottegaard said. “We know there’s always more to be done, but we’re here to support kids and teens and ultimately make a difference.”
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2025 edition of Be Greater Magazine. Click below to read the full issue.
