SAINT PAUL, MN / AGILITYPR.NEWS / July 27, 2021 / Pursuit Academy Helps Children Deal with Mental Health Issues

and COVID-19 Fatigue

Saint Paul’s Matt Birk is known for his off- the-field community service as well as his dominance on the gridiron. His newest venture, Pursuit Academy, is ready to launch and change the lives of 4th grade students.

“With a daily average of 5400 teen suicide attempts in the United States every year, there’s no question our kids are hurting,” says Birk. “This is a critical opportunity and we’re calling for our Twin Cities community to rally around our youth on behalf of future generations. Kids are stressed, depressed, exam-obsessed and social media possessed, even before the COVID-19 pandemic.” The father of eight believes “kids need new skills to help them pursue their best lives. Our Six Essential Skills empower kids to create that path.”

“We need to step up and meet this challenge head on, and we need to do it now,” says Lauren Withers of Tradition Capital Bank. The business is the Academy’s first valued partner in the crusade. “Tradition is honored to bring this daily programming. Taking personal responsibility for bettering our community is the key to transformation.”

Birk’s H.I.K.E. Foundation has put together a team of passionate educators, business professionals and entrepreneurs to create Pursuit Academy, which has already been successfully piloted at Deephaven Elementary School in Wayzata, MN. Pursuit academy is delivered via a Learning Management System (LMS), which is a five minute per day tool that provides educators and parents an immediate and exciting way to teach kids Pursuit Academy’s curriculum. The program is designed to be affordable, intuitive, and so simple that schools can add it to their curriculum immediately.

Birk and his co-founder John Amann, are available for interviews.