About Us
About Us
History
Tucson Student Ministries was created by Erin Anderson in April of 2021. After brainstorming and creating, Erin invited people to join her board of directors in June 2021. Our board of directors consists of Michele MCClellan (President) Jason Anderson (Vice President) Stuart Schillinger (Treasurer) Erin Anderson (Secretary) and Liz Schillinger. In June 2021, they appointed Erin to be Executive Director for Tucson Student Ministries. They recruited friends and artists that they knew and began creating content in June 2021. They had their first performance at the Reclaiming Hope Trauma Conference in October of 2021. By January of 2022 the team had around 18 active volunteers. Within their first year of operations they have been able to have two live performances, produce 6 podcasts, and a music video. In their second year of operations the team remained consistent with around 20 volunteers. They performed at multiple Vail School District events, such as Vail Pride Day, Vail Family University and different school's health and wellness fairs. Also participating in community events, Cool for School Car show, and Reclaiming Hope Trauma Conference. And partnering with Text, Talk, Act to create six different videos to be used in their curriculum.
The Science Behind What We Do
Why is our performing arts, performed by students for students?
“Social norms theory states that much of people’s behavior is influenced by their perception of how other members of their social group behave. According to social norms theory, people tend to misperceive, i.e., exaggerate, the negative health behavior of their peers. If people think harmful behavior is typical, they are more likely to engage in that type of behavior.”
Why do we tell students about healthier options and coping instead of only condemning their behaviors?
“Theory of Planned Behavior: the theory maintains that people will perform a health behavior if they believe that the advantages of the success outweigh the disadvantages of the failure., if they believe that other people with whom they are motivated to comply think they should perform the behavior, and if they have sufficient control over the internal and external factors that influence the attainment of the behavioral goal.”
Faith Based Ministry
We are founded on Christian principles. Because of this, the motivation behind TSM is to spread truth and practical information. We believe that the whole person is vital, so we want to help them practically, spiritually, emotionally and mentally. If a student has a need like food insecurity, we want to get them connected with resources to help that. If a student expresses an interest in religion but feels lost, we want to get them connected to a leader in their corresponding religion. If a student feels anxious or depressed, we want to help give them tools to cope with their situation. If a student has an overwhelming trauma, we want to get them connected to a mental health specialist.
If a student feels like they are stuck in a hole, that student needs a ladder and not a lecture. We want to help give students tools and resources, so they can start living healthy lives at a young age. A student can't understand what God's love is, if you don't practically show them. We love and care for all students regardless of their race, religion, socioeconomic status, gender identification or sexual orientation.