We Need Your Voice
As we close out Mental Health Awareness, the sea of green is slowly disappearing. All the posts are fading and green ribbons on stores will be gone. But the battle of mental illness doesn’t end. The statistics are still staggering and families feel like there’s nowhere else to turn. So how can we continue to fight the stigma in May and beyond?
We have made big strides in recent decades on our understanding of mental health. However, we need more. Posting that you support mental health awareness is great, but it’s not as powerful of a message as other ways. Change needs strong voices that challenge our old way of thinking and it needs to get in front of important people.
On Tuesday May 26th, I had the honor of addressing my town council and community of the importance of community mental health. I had three minutes to deliver a speech that addresses the importance of this matter. I started off with sharing statistics from a NAMI. I spoke about how I’m happy our town has resources, but I’d like to see them more “direct.”
When people are suffering from mental health issues, executive functioning and motivation levels can get low. Individuals may not even have it in them to go and find this information-this is why getting help is so hard. Sometimes those with mental health issues don’t even realize what kind of help is available.
My proposal to my town was to bring the resources to people instead of them finding it I suggested holding age-appropriate events that start in early childhood and work their way up to adulthood. It’s key to figure how ways to attract more people to attend.
During my speech, I emphasized teen mental health and the challenges of being an adolescent in 2026. Factors such as social media have made growing up even more turbulent than previous generations. It’s crucial to pay close attention to those in the age range. According to NAMI, suicide is the 2nd cause of death for those ages 10-24. This is really young and needs to serve as a wakeup call for us. This is why I do what I do. This is the reason I presented this in front of my town. I’m happy the message was well received.
We need your voice. In May and beyond, we need courageous people to speak for those who feel like they can’t. Advocating for more positive change is one way to do this. Getting involved in the community and supporting and collaborating with initiatives is effective. As a collective group, we can work towards positive change!
