Active Minds News

October 14, 2026 — Grief hit me like a wave that never went back out to sea. There were mornings I didn't want to get out of bed. Nights I wondered why I was still here when they weren't.

October 14, 2026 — The Active Minds Student Advisory Committee (SAC) is made up of young adult leaders who represent the Active Minds student voice nationally through media and other student forums. They also advise Active Minds national staff on student engagement, community building, program planning, Chapter engagement and management, National Conference planning, and program promotion. Powered by youth and young adults, the SAC is an integral part of the mental health work being done by thousands of Gen Z activists across the country. We’re excited for you to “meet” our 2026-2027 Student Advisory Committee cohort below. Kailani Goggans (she/her) is a student at Salem College studying Psychological Science & Public Health. She is deeply passionate about community care, advocacy, and wellness. On campus, she serves as President of Active Minds Salem College, Students for Reproductive Freedom, & Siblings Demand Justice. Through her work, she supports, educates, and inspires her peers to get involved in their community and use their voices. Kailani's academic and professional interests include attending medical school and obtaining her MD & master's in public health to bridge medical practice with community policy and action. In her free time, she enjoys indoor cycling, playing with her animals, and playing video games Dionisio (Dio) Taitano-Samora (he/they) is a student at Colorado State University Pueblo majoring in Public Health with minors in Spanish and Leadership Studies. He strives to utilize his experience as a first-generation Chicano-CHamoru student and his background with advocacy organizations, such as Young Invincibles and The Hub for Youth Centered Engagement, to create a more just education system for students of color. As of now, he also serves on Young Invincibles’ Youth Advisory Board for Colorado to advance policies that support young adults' mental health, access to healthcare, and the workforce. In the future, he aims to conduct research on access to STEM education and its connection to public health to advocate for health equity. Outside of academics, he enjoys hiking, trying new recipes, and language learning. Rhea Makkuni (she/her) is a student at Johns Hopkins University studying Molecular and Cellular Biology and Computer Science. She conducts research in the PALS Lab at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, applying artificial intelligence to the study of mood disorders. On campus, she serves as President of the Johns Hopkins chapter of Active Minds, where she leads local, community-based mental-health efforts that offer insight into global mental-health challenges, including limited continuity of care, fragmented systems, stigma, and barriers to navigating available resources. In her free time, Rhea enjoys biking, chatting nonstop with her friends, singing, and dancing! Amy Senkerik (she/her) is a student at Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University, majoring in Biological Science and in Global Health with a certificate in Evolutionary Medicine. She is deeply passionate about advocacy, suicide prevention, mental health, and public health. On campus, she works closely with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and on the outreach team for ASU’s Counseling Services. Last year, she was in the Active Minds Mental Health Advocacy Institute and spoke at the Active Minds Congressional Briefing in May. In addition to mental health advocacy, she leads the Refugee Education and Clinic Team, works as an Emergency Medical Technician, and conducts cancer-neuroscience research at the Mayo Clinic and Cedars-Sinai. She has interned at Harvard Medical School and as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Toronto in summer research programs. Amy has a passion for advocacy across individual, community, and systemic levels and hopes to work as a physician at the intersection of mental health, research, clinical practice, and policy. In her free time, Amy likes to run, rock climb, travel, and spend time with her loved ones. She ran the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon and has studied global health abroad in Australia. Arjun Nair (he/him) is a student at Virginia Commonwealth University studying Biology in the Guaranteed Medical Admissions Program. He serves as President of Active Minds at VCU, where he works to reduce stigma surrounding mental health, introduce students to self-care practices, and strengthen student engagement in mental health advocacy. Professionally, Arjun is interested in advancing compassionate care and support for people with substance use disorders, as well as HIV prevention within substance use treatment settings. He currently serves on the Student Advisory Board of the American Academy of HIV Medicine and is involved in research examining substance use, behavioral health, and access to HIV prevention and care. As a member of the Active Minds National Student Board, Arjun hopes to strengthen connections among campus chapters and empower youth and young adults to become mental health champions in their own communities. Ivanna Sintes-Klein (she/her) is a student at The University of Texas at Austin majoring in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science with a minor in Health Communication. She is deeply passionate about mental health, leadership, health advocacy, and creating communities where people feel supported, heard, and empowered. At UT Austin, she is the Chapter Founder and President of Teddy Bear Hospital USA at UT, a national non-profit that uses play to help children ease the anxiety that's associated with going to the doctor while promoting health education and empathy. She also serves as a Longhorn SHARE Support Specialist, where she leads a community centered around the belief that we do not have to carry the burdens of others alone, while completing training in peer support, mental health first aid, and connecting students with resources. Ivanna was also appointed through UT Student Government as a Student Government representative on the Student Health Advisory Committee, where she is excited to contribute a student perspective to conversations surrounding campus health and mental health. Before transferring to UT Austin, Ivanna attended Texas State University, where she founded and led Bobcat C.A.R.E. (Creating Awareness, Resiliency, and Empowerment), the first mental health advocacy organization, which was named Organization of the Year during her time as President. Through these experiences, she has developed a strong passion for making mental health support more accessible and creating spaces where students feel comfortable asking for help. In her free time, she loves to play pool and write poetry.  If you have any questions about how you can work with your community’s representative in taking action for mental health, please contact chapters@activeminds.org.

August 25, 2026 — Be a high schooler who makes change in their community by joining the Active Minds Mental Health Advocacy Academy (the Academy) and taking your advocacy offline.

August 25, 2026 — The air is getting crisper, the song of the summer’s being phased out of your playlists, and your favorite local coffee shop just reintroduced their pumpkin spice latte and cardamom chai.

August 11, 2026 — I spent the last year interviewing neurodivergent people of color about what happens when they walk into a therapist's office. One line has stayed with me since.

August 11, 2026 — Every single hour, loneliness is linked to nearly a hundred deaths. Not metaphorical deaths. Not "dying inside", or the kind people joke about in group chats.

July 26, 2026 — Walking across UCLA’s commencement stage, I carried more than a degree. I carried proof that I was still here. My Bachelor’s degree reflected more than lectures attended, exams taken, and sleepless nights.

July 26, 2026 — When life gets busy, self-care is often the first thing to disappear. I've definitely been there. Between classes, work, internships, and trying to keep up with everyday responsibilities, it can feel like there isn't enough time for yourself.

July 20, 2026 — Young leaders from across the country urged Congress to strengthen mental health support for youth and young adults through federal policy. WASHINGTON, D.C. — Active Minds, the nation's leading nonprofit mobilizing youth and young adults to change the culture around mental health so that it is valued and prioritized in society, marked a historic milestone on Thursday, July 16th, as hundreds of youth and young adult mental health advocates from across the country gathered on Capitol Hill for the inaugural Active Minds Hill Day + Mental Health Conference. Representing communities nationwide, advocates met with congressional offices to share their lived experiences and urge lawmakers to advance policies that strengthen mental health support for youth and young adults. Throughout the day, participants demonstrated the power of youth leadership by bringing firsthand perspectives into conversations that shape the future of mental health policy in America. Throughout Hill Day, advocates called on lawmakers to make mental health support more accessible by increasing the visibility of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on student identification cards and strengthening the Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention Grant Program to expand student-led mental health outreach and early intervention efforts on college campuses.

July 14, 2026 — It’s Conference—our favorite time of the year at Active Minds! Youth and young adults from across the country come together to share ideas, connect around programming, and learn from one another. This year there’s a twist: we are taking our advocacy to Capitol Hill with more than 200 youth and young adults to support the Campus Lifeline Act. This is a bipartisan bill aiming to strengthen mental health support for youth and young adults, led by youth and young adults. The bipartisan bill advances two core priorities: Expanding access to mental health crisis resources by including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on newly-issued student ID cards. Increasing federal investment in youth-informed mental health strategies on college campuses. Youth and young adults are facing unprecedented mental health challenges. Action is a necessity, and the Campus Lifeline Act gives young people a seat at the table when it comes to leading mental health solutions. This year's conference is dedicated to policy mobilization and community building across mental health programming – from Active Minds’ very own Student Advisory Committee to brand activations with ENOUGH and social media challenges built to elevate advocacy efforts by taking our boots-on-the-ground mobilization into the digital space.  After a full day of advocating on the Hill with peers and being in conversation directly with legislators, our advocates are headed to our social hour, dinner, and evening programming. Social hour kicks off with swag for all registrants and stations dedicated to emphasizing the mobilization efforts of youth and young adults.  Some of the offerings will be:  Resource Table: Stock up on A.S.K. program postcards, Active Minds cards, stickers, and more programmatic information.  Cause + Career Headshots: Get a professional headshot done on site at the conference to elevate your LinkedIn profile. Send Silence Packing Share Your Story Booth: SSP has been reimagined! Come and learn about the exhibit and take the opportunity to share your own story.  Photo Booth: Take photos and mini videos at our designated station to be used in future advocacy campaigns and posted to your personal channels.  Student Advisory Committee Reflection and Connection Wall: Write, draw, and print photos to be a part of this collaborative installation dedicated to amplifying mental health stories and the advocacy they inspire.   Our evening program follows with an array of experiences. We begin with a live recording of the She Persisted Podcast with Sadie Sutton and special guest Gen Z mental health advocate Hailey Hardcastle. Musical performances from D.C. native Be Steadwell highlights the evening alongside our panel, Built for This: The Advocacy Pipeline from School Passion to National Impact. Featured speakers include:  Moderator Brandon Bond: Director of People & Organizational Well-Being at Garrett’s Space, a young adult suicide prevention nonprofit. With a background in public health and social work, he focuses on multicultural wellness, nonclinical therapeutic support, and public mental health advocacy. With the Emerging Scholars Fellowship he created an integrative wellness pop-up barbershop, serving on the Active Minds x MTV Entertainment Youth Advisory Board that launched the A.S.K. Acknowledge, Support, Keep-in-Touch campaign. His leadership has expanded nationally as an inaugural Youth Advocate in Mental Health America’s Youth Policy Accelerator and locally through his appointment as one of the youngest Human Rights Commissioners in Ann Arbor’s history. Panelist Bria Murph: As the reigning Miss Celina in the Miss America Opportunity, Bria is a servant in her community through her community service initiative. “Do More, Be More” to empower youth to use their adversity to aim higher than the limitations of society. Passionate about mental health advocacy, her podcast "Chai with Bria" is dedicated to featuring stories of people overcoming adversity. As a member of the Active Minds Advocacy Institute, Bria recently developed “Project Zen UH” to promote social connectedness at her university by revamping older spaces into relaxing environments for students on her culturally diverse campus.  Panelist Rohan Sajita: He is the Co-Founder & CEO of Let's Learn Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has distributed over 75,000 books and 5,000 mental-health kits to more than 13,000 underserved students across Texas. As a member of the Mental Health Advocacy Academy he developed a strategic advocacy plan centered on scaling the Vibrant Voices Project, a program he founded that uses mental health monologue-writing workshops to support youth in juvenile detention. Rohan has led the expansion of Vibrant Voices to five Texas counties and training for youth facilitators to lead peer-to-peer delivery. Panelist Jodi Johnson: His journey with Active Minds began in January 2024 as a member of the Emerging Scholars Fellowship. Through this experience, he developed “Brother, You’re Not Alone,” a project addressing the gap in mental health treatment among Black, African, and Caribbean American men, with a focus on the need for increased preventative support. After completing the fellowship, Jodi merged his passion for athletics with advocacy by joining Team Active Minds, fundraising through distance running. To date, he has raised over $3,500. While completing the Philadelphia Marathon twice and traveling internationally to run the Berlin Marathon, Jodi remains committed to advancing mental health awareness and support through both community-building and endurance athletics. Panelist Varsha Penumalee: Through her writing, public speaking, and leadership, Varsha works to de-stigmatize mental health and empower young people to use their voices to drive systemic change. She serves on the Active Minds Student Advisory Committee, where she helps shape national initiatives, leads Chapter Chats on topics like policy and engagement, and contributes to large-scale advocacy efforts including Hill Day programming. In parallel, Varsha is the President of NAMI Virginia NextGen and Secretary of Youth MOVE National, where she advances youth-driven mental health policy, outreach, and peer support initiatives on the state and national levels. Her advocacy is deeply informed by her lived experiences and her commitment to addressing health inequities, particularly for marginalized communities.

July 13, 2026 — A year ago, if you had told me I would be preparing to meet with policymakers and advocate for the Campus Lifeline Act on Capitol Hill, I would never have believed you. As Active Minds’ first Hill Day approaches, I’ve found myself reflecting on the journey that brought me here. What started as an interest in mental health has grown into a passion and purpose through countless conversations, experiences, and connections. While I’ve been checking items off my packing list and reviewing my advocacy pitch, most of my preparation has been spent thinking about the people and stories that have made this work so meaningful. This year, I’m especially excited for Hill Day. For many attendees (including myself), speaking with policymakers and sharing their lived experiences can feel intimidating. As I prepare, though, I’ve been reminding myself that the most powerful thing I can bring into those conversations isn’t a perfectly memorized script; it’s the experiences and stories that have shaped my passion for mental health advocacy. One of my favorite parts of Active Minds is the opportunity to learn from others. Every year, I meet students and young adults from different backgrounds who are all working toward the same goal: creating communities where people feel comfortable talking about mental health and seeking support when they need it. I always leave inspired by their creativity, compassion, and commitment to making change. If you’re attending this year, my biggest piece of advice is to come with an open mind. Introduce yourself to someone new! Share your experiences when you’re comfortable, and take time to listen to others. Some of the most meaningful moments won’t happen during a keynote or panel. They will happen in conversations with your peers and fellow advocates. As the conference approaches, I’m feeling equal parts excited, grateful, and inspired. I’m looking forward to learning, connecting, and advocating alongside so many passionate young people. And because no conference blog would be complete without a packing list, here are a few Hill Day essentials I’ll be bringing with me: Business casual/business professional outfit Comfortable shoes Fully charged phone A notebook and pen Reusable water bottle Bag/tote Snacks Personal medications Portable charger Advocacy pitch and talking points See you in D.C.!

July 7, 2026 — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Active Minds, the nation’s leading nonprofit mobilizing youth and young adults to change the culture around mental health so that it is prioritized in society, today announced a $20 million unrestricted gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott — the largest gift in the organization’s history. The gift follows Scott’s previous $4 million gift to Active Minds in 2021, reinforcing the organization’s position as a national leader in youth mental health and its mission to create a society that forever values and prioritizes mental health. Since receiving the gift, Active Minds has been working alongside its Board, youth and young adult leaders, and school partners to identify strategic investments that will strengthen the organization's long-term impact. Through this collaborative process, Active Minds has developed a multi-year strategy focused on scaling the national infrastructure that builds community, mobilizes youth leadership, funds youth-led solutions, and translates youth voices into system change. Active Minds plans to expand investments in youth-led solutions through initiatives such as the Active Minds Mental Health Advocacy Academy for high school youth and Active Minds Mental Health Advocacy Institute for college students, increasing the number of youth and young adults who can gain the leadership, advocacy, and organizing skills needed to drive meaningful mental health change in their schools, campuses, and communities. More broadly, the funding will help expand access to Active Minds' national programs, ensuring more youth and young adults have opportunities to develop mental health literacy, strengthen peer networks, use their voices to influence change, and help build communities where mental health is valued and prioritized. While this unrestricted gift is transformational for the organization, the investment reinforces the critical need for sustained and immediate support for youth mental health. “This is a defining moment for Active Minds and for youth mental health in this country,” said Alison Malmon, Founder & Executive Director at Active Minds. “We are profoundly grateful to MacKenzie Scott for her trust in our mission and our community. This gift allows us to make bold, long-envisioned investments in youth leadership and youth-led solutions to champion a new era of mental health.” For more than two decades, Active Minds has worked to shift the culture surrounding mental health through youth and young adult leadership, peer-based connection, education, and advocacy. The organization was founded by Alison Malmon during her junior year at the University of Pennsylvania after the suicide of her older brother and only sibling, Brian. Since launching its first college chapter in 2001, Active Minds has grown into a nationwide movement reaching more than 4.5 million youth and young adults through peer-led programs, education, advocacy, and community engagement initiatives. At a time when schools, campuses, and communities are urgently seeking scalable solutions to support youth mental health, Active Minds continues to help define the national model for proven youth-led mental health programming, youth advocacy, and community-based culture change. This investment accelerates the organization’s ability to expand its proven programs, strengthen youth leadership development, deepen community engagement, and continue building a future where mental health is forever valued and prioritized.