PRESS RELASE: Marin County Youth Art/Film Showcase Addresses Mental Health

April 25, 2022

Youth Art/Movie Showcase Addresses Mental Health

Submit is effective that illuminate hope and properly-getting in the course of Mental Health Thirty day period

San Rafael, CA – Creative expression can help folks by challenging instances and provide hope and inspiration to themselves and other folks. These, in fact, qualify as complicated moments. Creative younger people in Marin County have a opportunity to guidance their peers by publishing their functions to an arts showcase centered on escalating awareness and sparking conversations about mental wellness and nicely-becoming inside Marin.

In honor of May possibly Psychological Overall health Thirty day period and to aid their peers’ desires, the Marin Suicide Avoidance Collaborative’s Youth Action Staff is hosting the Might Psychological Health Month Youth Artwork Showcase on Might 12, for which submissions will be recognized via May possibly 9.

The Youth Motion Workforce is collaborating with the Marin County Office of Overall health and Human Providers (HHS), Office of Cultural Companies, and Marin County Office environment of Education and learning to strategy and carry out the event. To engage youth to submit artwork, the staff is also partnering with group youth companies these as The Defeat In just, Opening the Environment, The Youth Poster Contest as very well as Marin colleges.

“We are thrilled to be a component of this vital system as the arts are this kind of a essential aspect of our lives in particular when it will come to mental health. The arts allow for area for social link, empathy, understanding and launch, especially at a time when so several of us are experience isolated and by itself,” reported Director of Cultural Expert services Gabriella Calicchio.

The Suicide Prevention Collaborative (SPC), of HHS’ Division of Behavioral Overall health and Restoration Products and services, is supported by Kara Connors, Senior Program Coordinator. The Collaborative’s Neighborhood Motion Groups, which incorporates the Youth Action Group, assistance to advance the County’s Strategic Approach for Suicide Prevention[PDF]. The associates style and put into practice school- and group-centered suicide prevention recognition and education and learning campaigns in partnership with Marin County Office environment of Schooling, the Marin Educational facilities Wellness Collaborative, and other group-based corporations in Marin.

“The Youth Action Workforce members are in a ideal placement to positively impact their friends and friends all around these critical matters,” Connors explained. “We know that youth generally chat with friends about their own struggles, even just before talking to an grownup. Just about every young man or woman can be geared up to assist one particular another by directing them to resources and info to get assist. The Youth Artwork and Film Showcase will join youth, build their self esteem as helpers, and develop social modify and norms by their art.”

In March 2020, the shutdown of superior faculties and middle universities and the loss of peer access enhanced equally nervousness and despair amongst Marin’s youth. Despite the September 2021 restoration of in-person education, youth are still dealing with the psychological overall health troubles they designed considering that the pandemic lockdown. In honor of Might Mental Health Thirty day period, the team’s purpose is to maximize awareness and discussions all around mental health and effectively-becoming in Marin.

The exposure to their peer mental wellbeing difficulties and desires motivates a lot of youth to sign up for companies these types of as the Youth Action Workforce. This commitment strongly moved Tawny Strotz, a junior at Redwood Substantial University, to sign up for the Youth Action Group this spring and guide the coordination and marketing of Could Mental Well being Thirty day period Youth Art Showcase.

“I feel potent as aspect of a neighborhood like the Youth Motion Workforce, that is enthusiastic by alter and motion to convey attention to the essential situation of psychological wellness,” Strotz claimed. “I know that some of my good friends have had their reasonable share of mental overall health struggles and just owning a likelihood to be open up about it aids to normalize the discussion so we can aid each individual other. I’m happiest when I know I can aid my close friends, which we will do by the Showcase by bringing awareness to psychological overall health and providing students an chance to have their function appreciated.”

For this function, Marin youth are inspired to create and submit artwork that demonstrates hopeful messages based on their perspectives and activities with mental well being. Art of numerous forms will be recognized, such as pictures, painting, electronic artwork, storytelling, poetry, dance, songs, and movie. In their generation of artwork, youth are asked to share current lifestyle or local community activities that deliver hope or inspire young people to take a stand against injustice.

Till May 9, youth artwork can be submitted digitally or dropped off at the Marin County Civic Center, 3501 Civic Heart Travel, Suite 329 in San Rafael, attention Nancy Vernon. The submission kind and rules are obtainable on the May well Psychological Overall health Month Youth Artwork Showcase web page.

Marin HHS oversees authorities-funded behavioral well being and recovery companies. If you or anyone you know is in mental wellbeing distress, discover assets on BHRSPrevention.org or call:

Discover extra at www.marinhhs.org.

This press release was manufactured by the Marin County Authorities. The sights expressed below are the author’s personal.