Reduce Stigma Against Youth Mental Health

Project Name:
Reduce Stigma Against Youth Mental Health

Team Leaders, Members and their Organizational Affiliations:

  • Paige Pemble – Charlevoix County
  • Camden Carey – Charlevoix County
  • Jürgen Griswold – Antrim County
  • Miranda Guzman-Shrake – Benzie County
  • Lindsey Jibson – Charlevoix County
  • Elke Knauf – Charlevoix County
  • Elena Pizana – Manistee County

Adult Advisors

  • Hannah Rodriguez – Manistee County Community Foundation

September 2022 Behavioral Health Summit Materials

Youth and adults do not have access to reliable information about mental health and the resources available to treat it. The disconnect between youth and adults does not help this situation; the generational divide about how to approach mental health paired with adults’ lack of awareness of youths’ personal situations can often lead to dismissal of the latter’s issues.

  • Created a physical display of the Through Our Eyes Photovoice project on the stigma around youth mental health that can be displayed within organizations and at events across the region and invited those who attended the September Summit to host the exhibit. 
  • Worked with a videographer to create the Through Our Eyes preview video that introduces and summarizes the Photovoice project.  
  • Developed the “Top 10 Recommendations to Reduce the Stigma around Youth Mental Health” document and distributed it to stakeholders across the region.

Organizations across the region are eager to hear youth voice and perspective on the issue of stigma around youth mental health. Our Action Team has been invited to present our work, including the Through Our Eyes physical Photovoice exhibit, at several events across the region in the coming months. Youth from across the region have had the opportunity to engage with one another and work toward a common purpose of reducing stigma around youth mental health and educating audiences that want to learn more about this topic.

  • Continue to provide opportunities for the physical Photovoice Exhibit to be displayed within organizations and at events across the region.
  • Explore opportunities to share our learnings and recommendations with schools across the region.
  • Recruit additional Youth Task Force members from across the region and continue to promote opportunities for youth to voice their perspective around the issue of mental health.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

April 2022 Behavioral Health Summit Materials

Students and teachers do not have access to reliable information about mental health and the resources available to treat it. The disconnect between students and teachers does not help this situation; the generational divide about how to approach mental health paired with teachers’ lack of awareness of students’ personal situations can often lead to dismissal of the latter’s issues.

Developed Through Our Eyes: A Photovoice Project on Youth Mental Health and Wellness. Participants for the project consisted of Youth Task Force members and additional youth from across the NMCHIR’s 10-county region. The virtual Photovoice exhibit presents youth perspective on the stigma related to youth mental health. Also explored potential training options for school staff to participate in.

Through the Photovoice project, this group was able to gain youths’ perspective around the issue of stigma related to youth mental health and gather youth recommendations for how this issue can be addressed across the region.

  • The Photovoice project will be used as an introductory piece that will be brought to schools across the 10-county region to begin a conversation regarding evidence-based trainings related to stigma around youth mental health that schools could implement. Recommendations on follow up training and support for schools will be used as a call to action after this discussion.
  • A physical exhibit will be created for the Photovoice project, which will be displayed across the 10-county region at community events.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS