Student Stories
Why Change is the Best Teacher
So, it’s that time of the year again — January rolls around, and suddenly everyone’s making resolutions and reflecting on life. But here’s the thing: fresh starts don’t follow a calendar. Trust me, I’ve learned this firsthand. Change doesn’t wait for a specific date; it just shows up, usually uninvited, and asks, “Are you ready?”…
We Are The Legacy: Commemorating 21 Years of Active Minds
Active Minds is a movement, a community, and a testament to what can happen when individuals come together to prioritize mental health. As someone deeply connected to its mission, Active Minds is a part of my identity, my journey as an advocate, and my experiences as a student. Reflecting on the 21 years since Alison…
Prioritizing Your Voice and Mental Health This Election Season
Election season often brings heavy political discussions. The constant barrage of political narratives, whether in debates, news outlets, social media, or even around the dinner table, can take a significant toll on your mental health. As an immigrant with a large immigrant family, I find dinner conversations especially frustrating. My family’s values differ from mine…
Hope While Waiting: Healing is Possible
To undergo the painful process of self-reflection regarding an eating disorder, and then follow that up with the gut-wrenching vulnerability of asking for help, is a process that should only be met with a simple answer: let’s get you the help you need. However, the unfortunate reality is that, for many people, this terrifying request…
Prioritizing Mental Health After Tragedy with a School-Wide Mental Health Field Day: From the Advisors
From the advisors (school counselors): Kaitlyn Robichaud and Courtney Selig This blog was written by Whitman-Hanson Regional High School’s Active Minds advisors about their experience supporting student-led efforts to advance mental health in their community. This is the second of two pieces sharing the story of these students’ advocacy. To read about this journey/story from…
Prioritizing Mental Health After Tragedy with a School-Wide Mental Health Field Day: From the Students
From the students (officers): Aliyah Chapman, Liz Kowlski, Rylee McTernan, Morin Yacoub, and Maren Bowmen This blog was written by student leaders at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School about their experiences advancing mental health in their community. This is the first of two pieces sharing the story of these students’ advocacy. To read about this journey/story…
Mental Health, Movies, and Mission: Meet the Summer 2024 Interns
A big thank you to our incredible Summer 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 grateful for the work our interns have done this summer and their contributions toward…
Embracing Failure
“I’m so disappointed in myself” or “I wish I could’ve just done better,” are common things we say to ourselves after a period of perceived failure. Our feelings of sadness, anger, or even regret are completely valid at this time. It’s easy to get tunnel vision and only recognize the bad that comes out of…
Advice for Creating a Life Full of Purpose
June often marks the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another – moving on to the next school year, transitioning to college or to the workforce, relocating to new cities, graduations… While this can be an exciting time, June can also bring a high amount of uncertainty, anxiety, and/or disappointment. Maybe you didn’t…
Managing Mental Health as an LGBTQ+ Youth in a Social World
For many young people (myself included), our lives are increasingly digital. We spend hours a day, for better or for worse, on our phones scrolling through our TikTok For You Page, liking Instagram posts of both our classmates and celebrities, and swiping through Snapchat stories. Although these can be great platforms for keeping up with…
Active Minds is the largest nonprofit in the United States mobilizing youth and young adults to transform mental health norms across society.