Children's Mental Health Awareness Week: May 6 - 12, 2018
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Commemorated this year on Thursday, May 10, 2018, National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day seeks to raise awareness about the importance of children’s mental health and show that positive mental health is essential to a child’s healthy development.
More than 1,100 communities and 160 national collaborating organizations and federal programs will organize local Awareness Day activities and events around the country. |
More Information
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For Immediate Release: Chapel Hill, NC. May 4, 2018
Keeping Children Alive and Safe
For anyone who loves children, the numbers are terrifying: 17 out of every 100 of high school student seriously considers suicide; 13% of children ages 8 to 15 experience a mental health condition in a year - but only half will receive treatment; 50% of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14.
On May 6 - 12, local schools, faith communities, and other organizations will join the bandwagon around the country to recognize Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week. Durham County commissioners issued a proclamation in support of May as Children's Mental Health Awareness Month. In a first-time joint effort, schools in the Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro systems will participate in a variety of activities to raise awareness about the importance of children’s mental health and show that positive mental health is essential to a child’s healthy development. Schools will provide information to parents, students, and staff on the importance of self-care in order to manage stress and anxiety. Other fun and informative activities are planned. Students, teachers, and staff are encouraged to wear green on Thursday, May 10th - National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. Green signifies new life, new growth, and new beginnings.
On Sunday evening, May 6th, a Youth Choir Benefit Concert at Binkley Baptist featured a speaker from Josh’s Hope Foundation, which received the concert’s proceeds. Choral selections and anthems were performed by youth choirs from Binkley Baptist, University Presbyterian, University United Methodist, and United Church of Chapel Hill. At University Presbyterian that day, green ribbons, anti-stigma stickers, and informational cards on mental health were distributed to Sunday school classes and a member of their Mental Health Task Force made remarks.
Multiple organizations are working to make a difference. Mental Health Community Connections: Children and Youth (MHCC) is a committee formed to connect school and community partners to promote a collaborative climate that supports mental wellness practices and is inclusive, supportive and appropriately responsive of/for/to students and their families who are impacted by mental illness. Sophie Jin, a rising senior at East Chapel Hill High School, appreciates this initiative and all activities that highlight youth mental health challenges. “As someone who has had personal experience with mental health, I now advocate for stigma awareness at the high school level as a student, a friend, and a peer. I participate in children's mental health month because I've seen firsthand how mental illness can affect young people."
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) provides support, education and advocacy for individuals and families living with mental illness, and offers free educational programs and support groups. On May 22 at 6:30 pm, NAMI Orange County will present a program at the Chapel Hill Public Library called “Talking With Your Child About School Violence.” A panel presentation will include Dr. Robin Gurwitch and Nancy Berson, LCSW, both of whom specialize in treating children who have experienced trauma, and Tora Taylor-Glover, LCSW, crisis counselor with the Chapel Hill Police Department.
Faith Connections on Mental Illness and Stand by Me NC are hosting “#Teen Anxiety: A Youth Mental Health Summit” on Oct. 6 in Chapel Hill. The event, which will include teens talking to teens, will feature the IndieFlix documentary, “Angst: Raising Awareness About Anxiety,” and breakout sessions that will focus on educating teens and adults about anxiety and coping skills. Registration will open in August at standbymenc.org and is limited to 100 youth and 40 adults.
You can make a difference. Learn the facts. Learn to recognize warning signs, how to talk with your child about mental illness, and how to work with school staff. Keep up with news and opportunities through websites such as standbymenc.org, faithconnectionsonmentalillness.org, or your local NAMI affiliate (NAMI Orange County; NAMI Durham County). Above all – Everyday MUST be Children’s and Youth Mental Health Awareness Day!
Kim Batson, Communications Co-Chair
Faith Connections on Mental Illness
Keeping Children Alive and Safe
For anyone who loves children, the numbers are terrifying: 17 out of every 100 of high school student seriously considers suicide; 13% of children ages 8 to 15 experience a mental health condition in a year - but only half will receive treatment; 50% of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14.
On May 6 - 12, local schools, faith communities, and other organizations will join the bandwagon around the country to recognize Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week. Durham County commissioners issued a proclamation in support of May as Children's Mental Health Awareness Month. In a first-time joint effort, schools in the Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro systems will participate in a variety of activities to raise awareness about the importance of children’s mental health and show that positive mental health is essential to a child’s healthy development. Schools will provide information to parents, students, and staff on the importance of self-care in order to manage stress and anxiety. Other fun and informative activities are planned. Students, teachers, and staff are encouraged to wear green on Thursday, May 10th - National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. Green signifies new life, new growth, and new beginnings.
On Sunday evening, May 6th, a Youth Choir Benefit Concert at Binkley Baptist featured a speaker from Josh’s Hope Foundation, which received the concert’s proceeds. Choral selections and anthems were performed by youth choirs from Binkley Baptist, University Presbyterian, University United Methodist, and United Church of Chapel Hill. At University Presbyterian that day, green ribbons, anti-stigma stickers, and informational cards on mental health were distributed to Sunday school classes and a member of their Mental Health Task Force made remarks.
Multiple organizations are working to make a difference. Mental Health Community Connections: Children and Youth (MHCC) is a committee formed to connect school and community partners to promote a collaborative climate that supports mental wellness practices and is inclusive, supportive and appropriately responsive of/for/to students and their families who are impacted by mental illness. Sophie Jin, a rising senior at East Chapel Hill High School, appreciates this initiative and all activities that highlight youth mental health challenges. “As someone who has had personal experience with mental health, I now advocate for stigma awareness at the high school level as a student, a friend, and a peer. I participate in children's mental health month because I've seen firsthand how mental illness can affect young people."
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) provides support, education and advocacy for individuals and families living with mental illness, and offers free educational programs and support groups. On May 22 at 6:30 pm, NAMI Orange County will present a program at the Chapel Hill Public Library called “Talking With Your Child About School Violence.” A panel presentation will include Dr. Robin Gurwitch and Nancy Berson, LCSW, both of whom specialize in treating children who have experienced trauma, and Tora Taylor-Glover, LCSW, crisis counselor with the Chapel Hill Police Department.
Faith Connections on Mental Illness and Stand by Me NC are hosting “#Teen Anxiety: A Youth Mental Health Summit” on Oct. 6 in Chapel Hill. The event, which will include teens talking to teens, will feature the IndieFlix documentary, “Angst: Raising Awareness About Anxiety,” and breakout sessions that will focus on educating teens and adults about anxiety and coping skills. Registration will open in August at standbymenc.org and is limited to 100 youth and 40 adults.
You can make a difference. Learn the facts. Learn to recognize warning signs, how to talk with your child about mental illness, and how to work with school staff. Keep up with news and opportunities through websites such as standbymenc.org, faithconnectionsonmentalillness.org, or your local NAMI affiliate (NAMI Orange County; NAMI Durham County). Above all – Everyday MUST be Children’s and Youth Mental Health Awareness Day!
Kim Batson, Communications Co-Chair
Faith Connections on Mental Illness