YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT
MAY 2021
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month! It’s also Mental Health Awareness month! To raise awareness, we hosted a Mental Health Summit for youth in the Asian American community!
Students anonymously shared their experiences and stories surrounding the pandemic, the challenges of being motivated and focusing on school, as well as the fear caused by the rise in anti-Asian racism. They also learned about mental health disorders from their peers from the Mental Health Matters leadership program. They learned about the resources available to help them cope with stress and depression and to work towards building long-term resilience. Many students shared that they or someone they knew experienced mental health challenges, but unfortunately, Asian Americans are 3 times less likely to seek mental health services compared to other ethnicities. The goal was to create a safe space to talk about mental health and encourage them to reach out for help.
Check out resources created and compiled by Mental Health Matters youth:
Having mental health issues doesn’t define your character and make you “defective” as a person, instead, it’s a temporary problem that can be treated!