Advocacy & Awareness
Protecting Your Mental Health Following the Recent Supreme Court Rulings
Doomscrolling: the tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there was likely at least one time you recognized yourself getting deeper and deeper into scary or upsetting news, but were unable to pull yourself away. That makes sense –…
Active Minds’ Emerging Scholars Answer Critical Questions Regarding BIPOC Mental Health
The need for mental health research based on lived experiences of the communities most affected by health disparities is crucial. One of Active Minds’ longest-running programs, the Emerging Scholars Fellowship showcases the importance of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) voices in mental health research. We have long known that BIPOC young adults experience…
Taking Pride in My Intersectional Identity and the Power It Gives Me
Throughout my life, I resided in many multi-cultural, under-resourced, and impoverished communities that exposed me to a multitude of systemic inequities that impacted my family and friends’ well-being and mental health. I too faced those inequities as a queer Latiné, and as I learned more about the systems in place that upheld those barriers, I…
Jorge Alvarez, Former Active Minds Chapter Leader, Shared His Story at the White House
The Mental Health Youth Action Forum, hosted for the first time in 2022 and taking place at the White House, was a time for the next generation of mental health advocates to gather and share their experiences, perspectives, and solutions regarding mental health. Jorge Alvarez, whose advocacy through social media and on-campus as an Active…
Active Minds Speaker Diana Chao Shares Her Mental Health Story with Dr. Jill Biden, Selena Gomez, and the U.S. Surgeon General
Diana Chao, Active Minds Speaker, was one of a select group of young adult mental health leaders chosen to take part in the inaugural Mental Health Youth Action Forum at the White House. A first-generation Chinese-American immigrant and graduate of Princeton University, Diana has candidly spoken about her own experiences with mental health, including bipolar…
Active Minds Participates in White House Mental Health Event
MTV Entertainment, in collaboration with a group of leading mental health nonprofits including Active Minds, hosted the first Mental Health Youth Action Forum at the White House. Five of the thirty youth mental health leaders in attendance are affiliated with Active Minds, including Jorge Alvarez and Diana Chao, who were chosen to participate in a…
Trauma Prevention Is Mental Health
Now more than ever, we’re seeing investments in mental health: from colleges and universities prioritizing the expansion of resources, to corporations supporting further research, to President Biden addressing the youth mental health crisis head-on at the State of the Union. As we continue to focus on mental health in the way it deserves, we must…
Ending the Stigma Around Men’s Mental Health as a Transgender Man
Being perceived as less of a man when expressing emotion. Facing unrealistic stereotypes and expectations. Being made to feel like your mental health doesn’t matter, or that you can’t struggle with your feelings without being invalidated. As a transgender man, these are all experiences I’ve dealt with first-hand as I’ve navigated my own mental illness…
We Each Play a Role in Supporting LGBTQ+ Mental Health
Pride Month is a time when many organizations and communities show their support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community in hopes of creating a culture that is more accepting, welcoming, and inclusive. What started as a result of the Stonewall Riots in 1969, is now a celebration of what makes each…
The Mental Health Crisis of School Shootings
We forget. Again and again, we forget. We forget the lives lost. We forget the screaming and tears of the classmates. The gasping, breathtaking grief of the parents, and the ashen shock of the teachers. We forget the horror, the anger, the anguish. We forget. We allow complacency and suffering to perpetuate. Today, there are…
Active Minds is the nation's premier nonprofit organization promoting mental health for young adults.