How to support mental health in young people

>> 2, 1,

>> WELCOME BACK. MAY IS MENTAL

HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH THAT

ALL MONTH LONG. WE ARE BRINGING

IN EXPERTS TO HAVE

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW MENTAL

HEALTH REACHES ACROSS SO MANY

TOPICS AND GENERATIONS. SO

TODAY WE'RE SO PLEASED TO BE

SPEAKING WITH EMPOWER ALL CEO

AND CO-FOUNDER, DR VALENCIA

HICKS, HARRIS, AS WELL AS

CO-FOUNDER AMANDA WEST. LADIES,

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING

HERE. SO LET'S JUMP RIGHT IN.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST

COMMON MENTAL HEALTH

CHALLENGES, TEENS AND CHILDREN

FACE TODAY? MANY OF OUR TEENS

ARE FACING ANXIETY AND

DEPRESSION A LOT OF ISOLATION

AND SOCIAL MEDIA AND

TECHNOLOGY. NO COMPARISON

PERFECTIONISM AND THE LIST CAN

GO ON. I SAY THAT OUR CHILDREN

ARE CARRYING MORE THAN JUST

BOOKS IN THEIR BACKPACKS FOR

SURE. ABSOLUTELY. WHAT ABOUT

AND I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A

CHILD OR CHILDREN AND I'M SURE

YOU HAD TO NAVIGATE SO MANY

DIFFERENT CONVERSATIONS.

ABSOLUTELY. ON JUST THAT SENSE

OF PRESSURE, ACADEMIC PRESSURE,

PARENTS, PRESSURE

ISOLATION AND AND HONESTLY BARN

OUT AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE.

STUDENTS ARE STARTING TO REALLY

JUST BURNED OUT FROM THE WEIGHT

OF ALL OF THAT. YEAH,

ABSOLUTELY. TALK A LITTLE BIT

ABOUT EMPOWER ALL FOR PEOPLE

WHO AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH IT IN

THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS DO.

WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE BEEN

ESTABLISHED FOR ABOUT 6 YEARS

NOW. BUT OUT WORK CENTERS,

MENTAL HEALTH AND UTILIZING

STEAM EDUCATION. THAT'S THE

SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY,

ENGINEERING, ARTS AND

MATHEMATICS TO TACKLE MENTAL

HEALTH IN A CREATIVE WAY.

SO WE DEFINITELY ARE NOT

LICENSED THERAPIST, BUT WE DO

WANT TO PROVIDE ACCESS IN EARLY

EXPOSURE TO OPPORTUNITIES WITH

THIS ENGAGED IN STEM EDUCATION

OR WAYS TO TACKLE MENTAL?

NO, ABSOLUTELY. AND IT'S SUCH

AN IMPORTANT WAY TO FIND A WAY

TO CONNECT TO YOUNG PEOPLE.

I KNOW AS A OLDER SIBLING,

THIS, YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER

HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH MY

LITTLE BROTHER WHEN HE WAS A

TEENAGER ABOUT, HEY, WHAT ARE

YOU GOING THROUGH LIKE YOU CAN?

>> TRADE AND OPEN SPACE FOR YOU

TO BE ABLE TO TALK AND A LITTLE

BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE UNIQUE

AND DIFFERENT WAYS THAT YOU

GUYS ARE WORKING TO CONNECT

YOUNGER PEOPLE. I THINK I READ

SOMETHING ABOUT STEM AND

HIP-HOP. AND A GUY SAID TO US.

SO THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT

STAND AND MENTAL HEALTH

WELLNESS AS THAT.

>> STAND AND WE DO HAVE THAT

AND THEY'RE GOING TO GET TO

THAT IN A SECOND. BRING IN THAT

HIP-HOP. HE'S BUT THE GREAT

THING ABOUT STAN IS IT'S ABOUT

GROWTH, NOT PERFECTION. YOU ARE

TACKLING THE PROBLEM. YOU ARE

COMING UP WITH SOLUTIONS.

YOU ARE TWEAKING THOSE

SOLUTIONS. THERE'S COMMUNITY.

THERE'S TEAMWORK. THERE'S

IDENTITY THEIR SOCIAL BELONGING

ALL WITH THAT PROCESS OF GOING

THROUGH THAT ENGINEERING DESIGN

PROCESS. AND THAT'S EXACTLY

WHAT MENTAL HEALTH IS RIGHT.

WE'RE ALWAYS WORKING ON

OURSELVES. WE'RE SEEKING GROWTH

WITHIN OURSELVES. NOT

PERFECTION, RIGHT? SO THAT'S

HOW WE KIND OF MARRY THOSE 2

CONCEPTS TOGETHER. NOW, WHEN WE

THROW IN AND WE HAVE THAT, THAT

THAT OUTLET FOR THAT EMOTIONAL

EXPRESSION, THAT'S WHERE WE

BRING IN HIP HOP IN THE CULTURE

OF HIP-HOP. THAT'S WHERE WE

CAN FIND IDENTITY BELONGING,

COPING SKILLS, RATHER, IT'S TO

FASHION MUSIC PRODUCTION AND

SEEN ART.

EVERYTHING THAT AND WITHIN THAT

CULTURE OF HIP-HOP, THAT'S HOW

EMOTIONALLY EXPRESS OURSELVES.

AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE BRING

THAT INTO THAT HOLE. STAMMER IS

LINDSAY EXPLAINS STEAM PROCESS.

THAT'S AWESOME. SO WHEN YOU

LOOK AT IT, I'M SO GLAD THAT

YOU BOTH MENTIONED SOCIAL MEDIA

RIGHT NOW IN TODAY'S WORLD.

>> IT IS SO DIFFICULT TO KIND

OF BREAK DOWN THAT WALL WITH

YOUNG PEOPLE, RIGHT? EVEN AS

SCROLLING. I THINK HOW MANY

LIGHTS THAT I GET TODAY?

YEAH. HE'S SO ADOPTABLE IS HERE

FOR YOU. HOW DO YOU THINK, YOU

KNOW, THE ORGANIZATION'S REALLY

WORKING TO TACKLE THAT? THAT

BATTLE? REALLY? BECAUSE IT'S

TOUGH. IT'S TOUGH. IT IS TO.

BUT HONESTLY, I THINK IT GOES

BACK TO LANGUAGE ING AND HAVING

THOSE OPEN CONVERSATIONS WITH

YOUNG PEOPLE AND BEING HONEST

AND MODELING THAT THE

VULNERABILITY PIECE AND THEN

TALKING THROUGH THE FACT THAT

THIS IS A FALSE REALITY OR

THAT'S A FILTER, RIGHT? SO

TACKLING A WAY THAT THEY'RE

ABLE TO PUT A NAME TO. IT

REALLY HELPS US AND HELPS THEM

EXPLAIN AND UNDERSTAND A LITTLE

BETTER NOW. ABSOLUTELY. THANK

YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE TODAY.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW

VIEWERS CAN GET INVOLVED IN

POWER, ALL OR EVEN LEARN MORE

ABOUT IT.

ABSOLUTELY. SO ON COMMUNITY

PARTNERSHIP IS EVERYTHING

WITHIN OUR WE'RE ALL ABOUT

REMOVING BARRIERS.

>> SO ONE OF OUR NEW

INITIATIVES THAT WE'RE REALLY

EXCITED ABOUT IS OUR MENTAL BUT

I WANTED TO TAKE A TAKE A BEAT

HERE, MENTION THAT BECAUSE WE

DEFINITELY PRACTICE WHAT WE

PREACH. SO IF SEEKING MENTAL

HEALTH RESOURCES FINDING HELP

COUNSELING A THERAPIST SEEMS

LIKE A

VERY OVERWHELMING JOURNEY TO

BEGIN. WE ARE WORKING ON

PROVIDING A VERY SAFE AND

GENTLE PATHWAY TO BEGIN THAT

PURSUIT IN TO BEGIN THAT

JOURNEY. SO DEFINITELY CHECK

OUT OUR MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCE

HOG. IT'S WHERE YOU CAN FIND A

GOOD FIT, THEIR PETS. THAT'S

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ACCESS TO

RESOURCES, ACCESS TO POTENTIAL

FINANCIAL AID BEEN. SO ALL THE

THINGS THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT,

FIRST STEP IS ALWAYS THE

HARDEST. THAT'S RIGHT. SO THANK

YOU SO MUCH, BOTH FOR BEING

HERE TODAY TALKING ABOUT MENTAL

HEALTH AWARENESS, EMPOWER ALL