Wellness Fair: Prioritizing students' mental health

By Emma Bailey, Clarion Staff Writer

The Wellness Fair, hosted by Kennedy’s EQ Ambassadors, supported students, provided resources, and increased mental health awareness by bringing in a variety of organizations. The organizations at the event were Be Bothered, Birth and Beyond, LGBT Community Center, Meadowview Community center, NAMI, OMNI Youth, Pacific Clinics, PRO Youth, Rage Project, Robbie Waters Pocket Greenhaven Library, Rose Family, the Village Advocates. Organizations offered flyers, information about their organization, prizes, and games. EQ Ambassadors, ASSETS, and the Student Support Center were also present at the Wellness Fair to inform students about opportunities on campus to address mental health stigma and how to get involved with after school events. EQ Ambassadors provided music, games, and chalk art. The COVID-19 pandemic and the hardship many students have experienced, has made mental health awareness and access to mental health resources vital now, more than ever. Below is a table linked with resources from organizations at the Wellness Fair and other mental health services.

Chalk Messages at Kennedy Wellness Fair May 18th 2022

Chalk Messages at Kennedy Wellness Fair

“I think especially after such a turbulent year just having a time where you can wind down, focus on mental health is important . . . a festival like this gets everyone excited and it's a morale thing!” Dorian Jones EQ Ambassador and Kennedy Senior.

“It's been a stressful two years . . . not everyone has resources at home or the support that they need so mental health awareness is really important. We have some health and wellness programs here at the library” Robbie Waters Library Supervisor, Marjorie Wiggins (Learn more: https://www.saclibrary.org/Locations/Robbie-Waters-Pocket-Greenhaven#)

¨If you had any mental health issues prior to the pandemic they were only exacerbated by being isolated and being alone. I think it's more important now more than it ever has been just to talk about what we are going through. It begins with our youth. If our youth are strong in their mental health and talking about their mental health it's just going to pass on to the next generation. Soon, we are going to have an entire world that are focused on being mentally healthy¨ Corinn Cook, NAMI Sacramento

The Student Support Center offers the program Mind over Matter that meets Thursdays from 2:30-3:15 in the Student Support Center(next to the Counseling Office) “A fun course to learn about managing and overcoming stress and anxiety. Discover and develop coping strategies. Gain support in a safe environment.” If you would need assistance from the Student Support Center, please fill out the form below. Student Self Referral Pictured(left to right): Cassie Miranda, Xzavier Sablan, Sangita Vakis, Marlee Cavitt

¨Especially nowadays with social media and everything that's been going on, anxiety, depression those are all things that people should know about. When you know about something you are better equipped to handle it and get through it and that's what we are trying to help people do¨ Moses Williams Be Bothered

Andrew Seaver, EQ Ambassador and Kennedy Senior, “Mental health is just as important as physical health. It's not talked about enough and there's a stigma around it and things like this are trying to break that stigma.¨ Pictured: Daniela Torres Melendrez

Melissa Comstock, PRO Youth and Families, ¨There's always been a stigma in the past about mental health and what that looks like. I think that it's important that we get rid of that stigma. We need to understand its okay to not be okay so the more that we get that out, we can break those norms. Giving students access to coping skills, knowing how to have positive social networks those things are important. When you are healthy inside . . . you are a better person overall.¨

Rose Family “an organization that combats social and cultural poverty through arts and education programs that help equip and empower children and families to succeed and thrive.” https://www.rfcecenter.com/

“Pacific Clinics serves children, transitional age youth, families, adults, and older adults. We offer a full range of mental and behavioral health services, foster care and social services, housing, continuing adult education and early childhood education programs to Medi-Cal eligible individuals and families.” https://www.pacificclinics.org/ Pictured: Representatives from Pacific Clinics

It's important to have these outreach events because most of the time the youth wouldn’t go to a center and ask what resources they have. So we better ourselves by coming to the schools to let them know ‘we have resources for you, come access it.’ Specifically for us being part of the LGBTQ+ community I think a lot of people might be too shy to come to the table but . . . there is a community that is there for them . . . we are here to show representation, inclusivity, and diversity.” Andy Cha, Sacramento LGBT Community Center

Information about mental health services and hotlines below

Learn more: https://www.youthdevelopmentscusd.org/programmanual