Active Minds

MARCH 8, 2024

In his 2024 State of the Union address, President Biden reaffirmed his commitment to addressing the ongoing youth mental health crisis in the United States. As the nation continues to grapple with the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing prevalence of mental health disorders among young people, the Biden administration has taken significant steps to prioritize mental health and expand access to critical resources and support.

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Active Minds

MARCH 4, 2024

The Active Minds Mental Health Conference is unlike any other. I had the privilege of helping to plan the conference as part of the Student Advisory Committee in 2022 and 2023, though I still walked in like it was my first time. The culture at the conference was incredible , and I left feeling seen and heard by my peers and other industry leaders. As a result of my time at the Conference, I have had many opportunities and abilities to use my voice for change through networking with other mental

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Active Minds

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Research shows that peer-to-peer outreach is the best way to reduce the stigma that surrounds mental health and to encourage people to seek help if they need it. Since 2009, the Active Minds Speakers have provided mental health outreach for students and young adults nationwide, sharing their personal stories regarding mental health struggles and resilience.

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Active Minds

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

Welcome to our spring 2024 interns, our biggest advocates for mental health awareness! Every semester, our class of interns at Active Minds contributes to important initiatives, including chapter support, program development, fundraising, and so much more. We’re thrilled to see all the work our interns will do during these coming months and their contributions toward mental health awareness.

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Active Minds

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

In life, we often find ourselves swaying to the rhythms of obligations, responsibilities, and the needs of others. Amidst all this, it’s easy to lose sight of the most essential melody: the tune of self-care and self-love. We tend to gravitate towards our daily obligations and responsibilities and repress the self-care necessary to allow us to carry on these activities.

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Active Minds

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

For many of us, mental health has become intertwined into our everyday conversations — chatting with our friends about daily stressors, reading social media posts about managing anxiety, and meeting with a therapist when things feel out of control. However, as commonplace as mental health can feel to some of us, that simply isn’t the reality for many people.

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Active Minds

JANUARY 22, 2024

The new year brings intentions of resetting, creating goals, and making the most of this fresh start. Often, we find ourselves adopting new habits, exploring unfamiliar routines, and working towards the “best” version of ourselves. However, this exciting time of renewal and change can often come with heightened expectations. It’s easy to get consumed with ideas of perfection and progress while consistently placing pressure on ourselves.

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Active Minds

JANUARY 10, 2024

In 2020, the Arizona State Legislature passed Jake’s Law , a multi-faceted piece of legislation aimed at increasing access to behavioral health services (including mental healthcare) in schools, improving mental health parity in health insurance, and reevaluating the state of youth mental health in the state of Arizona. This included the establishment of an $8,000,000 fund to cover school-based behavioral health services for any uninsured or underinsured student referred to services by their sch

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Active Minds

JANUARY 8, 2024

The clinical definition of well-being comprises four components: the individual realizes their abilities, can cope with the everyday stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to their community. Simple, right? If only. In my one and half years as a college student, I have learned the importance of stress management , which directly connects to mental wellness.

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Active Minds

DECEMBER 11, 2023

The mission of Active Minds is centered around mobilizing youth and young adults to be the mental health change in their schools and communities. In my ten years at the organization, I have seen the power of grassroots advocacy in improving mental health culture nationwide — but I’ve also seen the toll it can take on young changemakers. The truth is you can’t pour from an empty cup, and we are hearing more and more that young people are unable to access the mental health care they need because o

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Active Minds

DECEMBER 8, 2023

It’s December. As we spend the holiday season gathered together with family and friends, this time of year is often marked by connection and reflection. For me, this rings especially true on the anniversary of our founding month as I think about the work and powerful impact that the Active Minds community has accomplished over the past 20 years. I founded Active Minds in 2003 , following the loss of my brother Brian to suicide.

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Active Minds

DECEMBER 6, 2023

The holiday season can bring us so much cheer and emotional wealth, including the opportunity to reunite with family and loved ones. As we adjust to a new routine and, at times, a new environment around the holidays, it can also be difficult to navigate the mental health challenges we may be facing or bringing back home with us. These mental health conversations with family can often be met with silence, discomfort, or even misunderstanding.

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Active Minds

NOVEMBER 29, 2023

As the winter months settle upon us, seasons change, and many aspects of our lives do as well. Change can take on many forms and manifest in several ways, from minor adjustments to our daily routines to more significant transitions such as a new job, ending relationships, or relocating to a new city. These shifts can be planned or unexpected and, above all else, a daunting experience.

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Active Minds

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

As a transgender man, Transgender Day of Remembrance is a day that’s near and dear to my heart. For most transgender and gender non-conforming youth, it is one of the ways we honor our elders, peers, and history, even if we cannot come out. In 2023, we are honoring the 19 transgender and non-binary siblings who passed due to transphobia and hate. The uncertainty of being accepted by our family, friends, school, and more can bring up a lot of emotions and mental health concerns, especially in our

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Active Minds

NOVEMBER 17, 2023

Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide. Send Silence Packing® (SSP) is a traveling exhibit with the purpose of opening the conversation about mental health issues that we all face on a daily basis while also providing attendees with the resources available to them on a community and national level. I decided to become a tour coordinator this fall because it allows me to better my knowledge about mental health and learn different styles and methods that others use to cope and

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Active Minds

NOVEMBER 14, 2023

Self-advocacy is a powerful tool, especially as we navigate a world with systems that are not structured to serve us. To me, as an immigrant, queer Latina, it is important to understand all of the factors that have played into my mental well-being. Growing up in a Hispanic household where mental health was not talked about nor prioritized, it was tough for me to know what resources were available to serve me.

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Active Minds

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

As an educator in the classroom and a former principal on the South Side of Chicago, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges that students and staff alike face. American Education Week provides a crucial opportunity to shed light on an issue that continues to be ignored: the need to support the mental health of both students and educators. In schools, the traditional focus on academic achievement must evolve to include the holistic well-being of everyone who walks through those doors.

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Active Minds

NOVEMBER 11, 2023

As we approach another Veterans Day, I find myself reflecting on the commitment we owe to our military personnel and veterans. Working as the policy manager at Active Minds , the importance of mental health advocacy is prominent, especially for those who’ve served our nation. Two transformative policies that have the power to greatly support veterans’ mental health include The Brandon Act and H.R. 3011 — DOD Task Force on Mental Health.

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Active Minds

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

College is not easy. This fall, I began my sophomore year at Union College, and it is definitely much more challenging than the previous year, especially since I have all upper-level classes this term, two of them being biology classes and one other intensive political science class. Though students often jokingly debate which is more rigorous, future-proof, and overall superior, humanities and STEM students alike face the need to manage the stress of juggling academics, extracurriculars, a soci

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Active Minds

OCTOBER 27, 2023

Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide. Getting involved in mental health advocacy in our youth is not easy, but with the emergence of bills like the Student ID Bill (a proposal for schools to print mental health hotline numbers, such as 988, on the back of student ID cards), opportunities for upcoming generations are there. With this in mind, it’s important to understand how and why we should advocate for ourselves as youth and be familiar with the mental health legislat

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Active Minds

OCTOBER 23, 2023

Voting forms the bedrock of our democracy, carrying substantial weight in shaping the policies and societal issues that will be addressed during campaigns and highlighted in the laws put into action in your state. In the 2023 election cycle , voters wield influence over a wide range of positions, including gubernatorial candidates (governors), state legislatures, state supreme courts, and mayors.

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Active Minds

OCTOBER 13, 2023

Picture this: It’s my first semester at Central New Mexico Community College (CNMCC), and I’m knee-deep in textbooks, navigating the maze of college life. Like many of us, I was eager to learn and grow but realized that the pressures of academia can sometimes take a toll on our mental health. Stress, self-doubt, and the challenges of balancing coursework with personal life started to affect not only me but also many of my classmates.

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Active Minds

OCTOBER 11, 2023

Three years ago, I came out as a lesbian. Spoiler alert — that is no longer the label I identify with. And that’s okay. But for a long time, I didn’t think it was okay. And that fear of “misidentifying,” of coming out and then changing my mind, of just being what I perceived as wrong, kept me isolated, and my mental health suffered because of it.

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Active Minds

OCTOBER 5, 2023

For over a decade, the Active Minds Send Silence Packing® (SSP) display has traveled the country to end the silence surrounding mental illness and suicide. Send Silence Packing® encourages attendees to seek support for themselves, friends, or loved ones, with trained professionals available on-site and thousands of mental health resources distributed to community members at each stop.

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Active Minds

OCTOBER 2, 2023

I was fourteen years old when I was introduced to the space of mental health advocacy. At this time, I began training to become a hotline listener at Teen Line , a peer crisis line in Los Angeles. I was fascinated by this organization that not only served youth but actively centered their engagement. After all, youth are often quieted and discredited in the mental health space despite youth-led advocacy and peer support being necessities in erasing taboos and improving the current landscape.

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Active Minds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023

Welcome our fall 2023 interns, some of our community’s biggest champions for mental health! Each semester, the class of interns at Active Minds plays an integral role in everything from program development, marketing and communications, fundraising and development, and so much more. We couldn’t do our work without our interns, and our team at Active Minds is excited for our community to meet them and see their hand in all of the work we do over the coming months.

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Active Minds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2023

Growing up, I always felt like an outsider. The world seemed to operate in binary terms, forcing me to choose between being straight or gay. This can be a difficult path for anyone, but it becomes even more arduous when faced with the complexities of identity and acceptance. As someone who doesn’t identify as gay or straight, the intersection of sexuality and mental health is a complex and undeniable issue provoked by society’s narrow-minded views.

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Active Minds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2023

Self-care is something that everyone talks about — but what does it actually mean, and how do you create a routine that is both effective and sustainable? As a student, self-care isn’t always easy to fit into my schedule, but it remains an important part of taking care of our mental health. As I’ve learned more about self-care over the years, I’m excited to share more about the art of nurturing our minds and bodies.

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Active Minds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

Last year, more than 49,000 people were victims of suicide , the highest ever recorded in U.S. history. Although talking about mental health and suicide can be challenging, it is a conversation that we can’t avoid. Every year, too many young lives are impacted by mental health challenges, making suicide a significant concern. That’s where what Active Minds calls “Youth Champions” come in — parents, guardians, teachers, administrators, and community leaders alike — who all have an essential

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Active Minds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

In the face of a youth mental health crisis, the urgency for inspiring mental health change has never been more apparent. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy has sounded the alarm, highlighting that a youth mental health crisis is already brewing. Startling data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that more than one in five youth ages 13 to 18 grapple with serious mental illnesses at some point in their lives.

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Active Minds

AUGUST 30, 2023

From middle to early high school, I struggled with suicidal ideation, depression, disordered eating, and other mental health challenges. I felt especially isolated in my rural community, where conversations about mental health were nonexistent and access to care was limited. I also dealt with the stigma associated with men’s mental health, further complicated by my sexual orientation and queerness.

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Active Minds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide. Life for us turned upside down on Feb. 12, 2022. Our dear son Sanjeev Panja lost his life to suicide at the very tender age of 20. Sanjeev was caring, loving, funny, goofy, and an extremely motivated kid — always laughing and making others laugh. The pain and grief we are going through are unimaginable, and no parent should have to go through what we are going through.

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Active Minds

AUGUST 23, 2023

It’s no secret that youth and young adults across the United States are currently experiencing a mental health crisis, and BIPOC and LGBTQ+ young people are disproportionately affected. In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 42 percent of high school students experienced persistent sadness or hopelessness — a 13.5 percent increase from 2019 and a 50 percent increase from 2011.

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Active Minds

AUGUST 21, 2023

The Active Minds Student Advisory Committee (SAC) is made up of fifteen young adult leaders who represent the Active Minds student voice nationally through media and other student forums. They also advise Active Minds national staff on student engagement, community building, program planning, Chapter engagement and management, National Conference planning, and program promotion.

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Active Minds

AUGUST 17, 2023

Pencils? Check. Notebooks? Check. The planner you were obsessed with that you’ll use diligently for one week and then forget about? Also, check. As you prepare to head back to school this fall, it’s just as important to check in with your mental health (and the well-being of your friends and peers!) as it is to check off all the items on your back-to-school shopping list.

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Active Minds

AUGUST 9, 2023

In 2021, U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, declared that mental health challenges had devastating effects on younger populations. Since then, The Biden Administration has shown a keen interest in addressing the mental health crisis in America through policy. And progress has been made — including expanded crisis response services and mental healthcare access in schools.

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Active Minds

AUGUST 2, 2023

When I was 10 years old, my aunt used to take me for a walk to the nearby park, and before going there, I was always warned not to go near this lady. My aunt told me she had some “special unnatural problems.” Before learning about the different problems people may have due to their mental health and how the stigma associated with it discourages people from seeking treatment, I had no idea what she was trying to convey to me.

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