Active Minds Programs & Campaigns
The Intersection of Mental Health and Creativity
When I was a freshman in college, I went to a talk on my campus about sharing your mental health story hosted by my Active Minds chapter for Mental Health Awareness Month. At the time, I was a new mental health advocate, someone who had only been diagnosed with OCD two years prior. Still weeding…
Active Minds, Strong Lives: Why Openness is Key To Well-Being
In recent years, there has been an increase in awareness surrounding mental health. Individuals from every generation have taken the initiative to shine a light on mental health and work towards decreasing the shame and misconceptions associated with mental health. With this being said, it is important to understand that everyone’s mental health journey is…
You Don’t Have to Be an Expert
We all love our friends, but it can be easy to feel like we can’t make a difference in their life. We have each other’s backs, but sometimes knowing exactly what to say when they come to you can be difficult. We want our friends to know we care, but what happens when we can’t…
Finding Connection at Send Silence Packing®
Connection. I left our most recent stop of Send Silence Packing® (SSP) with this word brimming at the top of my mind. Although I’m fairly new to Active Minds, I didn’t expect the exhibit to have this kind of impact on me as one of the staff members supporting the event. However, I found that…
Uplifting BIPOC-Centered Mental Health Research With the 2024 Emerging Scholars
Active Minds is proud to introduce our 2024 Emerging Scholars Fellows! The Emerging Scholar Fellowship, generously supported by the Scattergood Foundation for Behavioral Health and Macy’s, is a unique opportunity for students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or Persons of Color (BIPOC) to work on their own groundbreaking mental health-related independent research. Active Minds is…
What to Expect at the 2024 Active Minds Mental Health Conference
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…
How Active Minds Speakers Can Help You Create Lasting Mental Health Change
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….
Simple Ways to Bring Mental Health Conversations to Your School This Year
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…
Celebrating the Past, Mobilizing the Future: 20 Years of Active Minds
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…
Why (And How) Every Community Should “Send Silence Packing®”
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…
Active Minds is the largest nonprofit in the United States mobilizing youth and young adults to transform mental health norms across society.