news and media

Iconiq Impact Awards $56 Million Through Its Education and Economic Mobility Co-Lab

$56 million across 16 grantees through its Education and Economic Mobility Co-Lab, which is awarding multiyear, unrestricted grants to organizations that are advancing equity in career pathways, behavioral health care, and family support systems in marginalized communities. Among the grantees is Active Minds, which is receiving up to $3 million over three years to expand access to mental health care within 1,000 schools that teach kindergarten through 12th grade, and to back the organization’s Cause + Career program.

Read the complete article here.

Student Mental Health Week 2024 Logo

BusinessWire: Chegg Announces 2nd Annual Global Student Mental Health Week Amid Growing Loneliness Epidemic

Chegg announced that it has partnered with esteemed non-profits and organizations from around the world, including Active Minds, for Global Student Mental Health Week 2024, a global initiative that seeks to destigmatize mental health among students, encourage young people to be intentional about looking after themselves, and inspire conversations around what policymakers, education institutions, the wider community, caregivers, and learners themselves can do to support student mental wellness.

Read the complete article here.

New York Times

When the Biggest Student Mental Health Advocates Are the Students

Some evidence suggests that the presence of a mental health club can benefit school culture. Dr. Padilla led a study of mental health clubs affiliated with the nonprofit Active Minds, another organization focused on destigmatizing mental illness. She found that students who were familiar with the club — even if they were not highly engaged in it — reported reduced stigma about mental illness.

Read the complete article here.

Giant ASK bracelet on display in front of a brick building

WCNC: National mental health campaign touring college campuses features installation from Charlotte artist

Katrina Sánchez’s friendship bracelet installation and the A.S.K campaign are part of Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s “We Are Made To Connect” tour.

Acknowledge, support, and keep in touch — or “A.S.K.” — are three steps that make up what nonprofit Active Minds calls the best way to help a friend.

Active Minds and MTV Entertainment teamed up to create the A.S.K. campaign, aimed at helping young people learn how to navigate through hard times and help others do the same. The campaign is now part of U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s “We Are Made To Connect: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Connection Tour,” making stops at college campuses across the country.

Read the complete article here.

Washington Post Op-Ed: LGBTQ+ youths need access to affirming care

Our Chief Program Officer, Laura Horne, underscores the severe risks posed to youth mental health amid a dangerous wave of state legislation aimed at stripping critical online resources from LGBTQ+ youth

The Aug. 1 editorial “Mr. Youngkin undermines LGBTQ+ youths” exposed a dangerous trend happening in state legislatures across the country: Policymakers are actively severing access to critical resources for LGBTQ+ youths.

Despite the fact that LGBTQ+ youths are facing…

Read the complete Op-Ed here.

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Takes Action to Make it Easier to Access In-Network Mental Health Care

President Biden announces new landmark rule to strengthen mental and physical health parity requirements and improve mental health care access for more than 150 million Americans

President Biden believes mental health is health. As part of his Unity Agenda, he released a comprehensive national strategy to transform how mental health is understood, accessed, treated, and integrated in and out of health care settings. That’s why, today, the President is announcing new actions that would improve and strengthen mental health parity requirements and ensure that more than 150 million Americans with private health insurance can better access mental health benefits under their insurance plan.

Read the statement here.

Peer-to-Peer Counseling Can Help Schools Address the Youth Mental Crisis

An Op-Ed from The 74 by Active Minds’ Founder and Executive Director, Alison Malmon

“By giving students opportunities to advocate for themselves and their peers, schools can build stronger and healthier communities.” Alison shares her personal story behind the beginning of Active Minds to frame the inspiration for the organization’s work focused on supporting youth and young adults to transform mental health culture among their peers…and save lives.

Read the op-ed

Aerial view of the Virginia Tech campus, featuring the central lawn surrounded by trees and classical architecture, with mountains in the distance.

Active Minds’ Founder Alison Malmon Shares Thoughts on Campus Mental Health

Image: Virginia Tech received a 2022 Active Minds Healthy Campus Award (© Rick Craig)

In a recently published op-ed by The Hechinger Report, “Mental health services are crucially important for student success but often overlooked,” Active Minds’ Founder and Executive Director Alison Malmon discusses the importance of a positive mental health culture on campus, as well as questions to ask when considering a college.

Read the op-ed

active minds experts directory

Alison Malmon

Active Minds' Story
Suicide Prevention
Workplace Mental Health

Alison Malmon

Founder and Executive Director

Alison Malmon

Alison Malmon

Founder and Executive Director

Alison Malmon is the founder and Executive Director of Active Minds, and a sought after mental health expert. Alison formed the organization in 2003 as a 21-year-old, following the suicide of her brother and only sibling Brian. Wanting to end the silence that caused her brother to suffer alone and ultimately take his own life, Alison created a group on her campus at the University of Pennsylvania to promote open dialogue around mental health. Since then, Active Minds has grown into the country’s foremost mental health organization for students and young adults, with award-winning programs and a vibrant network of campus chapters located at more than 600 colleges, universities, and high schools nationwide.

Contact Alison

Laura Horne

Active Minds Programs
Mental Health Policy
Active Minds Students

Laura Horne

Chief Program Officer

Laura Horne

Laura Horne

Chief Program Officer

As Chief Program Officer at Active Minds, Laura develops innovative strategies and unique partnerships to empower students to help society embrace a comprehensive, public health approach to mental health. She oversees Active Minds’ evidence-based peer-to-peer approach and award-winning programmatic portfolio, including Active Minds’ nationwide network of more than 600 college and high school chapters, Send Silence Packing®, Active Minds Speakers, V-A-R®, among many others.

Prior to Active Minds, Laura provided technical assistance and training to a nationwide network of multi-sector community coalitions to implement health policy, systems, and environmental change and prevent chronic disease in schools, workplaces, and communities through her work at the National Association of County and City Health Officials. She also managed a public health communications portfolio at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Laura earned her Master of Public Health degree in community health sciences from Tulane University and her Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Loyola University New Orleans. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing.

Contact Laura

Lauren Cikara

K-12 Mental Health
LGBTQ+ Mental Health
Health Education and Equity

Lauren Cikara

Director, K-12 Initiatives

Lauren Cikara

Lauren Cikara

Director, K-12 Initiatives

Lauren has spent her entire career advocating for youth and young adult programming in K-12 education, higher education, and community spaces. Most recently, she worked for the Colorado School of Public Health School recruiting schools to participate in the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey (HKCS), Colorado’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), and Smart Source. In this role, Lauren supported schools in administering the surveys and provided technical support to schools and community partners as they navigated using results to inform school and adolescent health work across Colorado. She is a strong advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusive school board policies and ensures the work she is a part of has an equitable and intersectional lens. Lauren’s background is in student leadership, health education and equity, policy and advocacy, and equity and inclusion.

Contact Lauren

Amy Gatto

Higher Ed Mental Health
Public Health Policy

Amy Gatto

Director, Research & Evaluation

Amy Gatto

Amy Gatto

Director, Research & Evaluation

Amy is interested in the relationship between health and education. Blending together her experiences as a former high school teacher, higher education health educator, and young adult health researcher, she has found a niche in working to improve adolescent and young adult mental health. Amy is a doctoral candidate at the University of South Florida in the College of Public Health, holds a Master in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services from Elon University.

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Ashley Hill

K-12 Mental Health

Ashley Hill

Senior Manager, K-12 Partnerships

Ashley Hill

Ashley Hill

Senior Manager, K-12 Partnerships

Ashley Hill is a human development professional with national and international experience building social and emotional competencies in adults, youth, and organizational processes. Her expertise lies in facilitating safe physical and emotional learning spaces by building cultural and self awareness that lead to the examination of implicit biases. She is joyful trainer of youth and adults in a range of content including sexual and behavioral health. She is most proud of her work designing partnerships, programs, and training content that moves youth serving organizations forward for Black, brown, and LGBTQ youth. At Active Minds, Ashley is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to strengthen and scale the nationwide impact of the Active Minds’ K-12 network; develops outreach strategies and partnerships between Active Minds and K-12 organizations, specifically supporting adult stakeholders (i.e. educators, parents, caregivers, etc.) in districts, schools, and national associations.

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Annie Hobson

K-12 Mental Health

Annie Hobson

Senior Manager, K-12 Student Leadership

Annie Hobson

Annie Hobson

Senior Manager, K-12 Student Leadership

Annie Hobson (she/her) is no stranger to youth development. She has dedicated her entire career to youth programming, youth leadership, K-12 social-emotional learning, and community and human services. In her previous role, Annie served as the Youth Services Manager for the City of Rockford, IL-Mayor’s Office-Family Peace Center where she developed and implemented inclusive programs for youth survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Hobson graduated from Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and a Master’s Degree in Human Services from Capella University. At Active Minds, Annie is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to strengthen and scale the nationwide impact of the Active Minds’ K-12 network; develops and implements student-led initiatives where they can advocate for and support school-based mental health initiatives and programming.
Markie Pasternak

Active Minds Students
Higher Ed Mental Health
Healthy Campus Award

Markie Pasternak

Senior Manager, Higher Education

Markie Pasternak

Markie Pasternak

Senior Manager, Higher Education

Markie oversees Active Minds’ work in higher education, focusing on mental health support for college and university students, staff, and faculty. Markie is originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and received her bachelor’s in psychology from Marquette University. During her time at Marquette, Markie served as the Active Minds’ chapter president and was the president of the Student Advisory Committee from 2015 to 2016. Markie received her Master’s of Science in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University-Bloomington. Before joining the Active Minds Staff, Markie worked at Auburn University focusing on mental health programming and peer health education, and was the co-advisor for the campus’s Active Minds chapter.

 

Contact Markie

Jessica Mayorga

Press & Media

Jessica Mayorga

Chief Marketing Officer

Jessica Mayorga

Jessica Mayorga

Chief Marketing Officer

Jessica (she/her) is emphatically a D.C. native and proudly the daughter of a Cuban-Chinese exile and a Colombian immigrant raised by her resilient grandmother. Having experienced social injustice first-hand since childhood, her career has been fueled by a commitment to achieve change and move the needle on injustice believing that one’s zip code, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and identity should never limit potential or access to success. Driven by deeply personal experiences, Jessica is committed to doing her part to eliminate cultural taboos and stigmas associated with mental health in communities of color.

Jessica earned a Master’s degree in Administration, Planning and Social Policy at Harvard University, an MBA in Marketing at Walden University and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park. She resides in Maryland with her husband and two daughters while also co-parenting her remarkable multiple-special-needs son. During the NBA season, you’ll find Jessica glued to the television every time her beloved LA Clippers play.

Contact Jessica

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Headshots of the 2022-23 Student Advisory Committee with text below reading

Looking for a young adult voice on mental health?

The Active Minds Student Advisory Committee can speak on topics such as mental health on high school and college campuses, therapy and medication, mental illness, and more. A full list of our SAC students can be found here, and for more information or to get in touch with a student, please contact the Active Minds Communications Team.

 

additional press and media resources

About Active Minds

Active Minds is the nation’s premier nonprofit organization supporting mental health awareness and education for students. Through award-winning programs and services, Active Minds is empowering a new generation to change the conversation about mental health.