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September 29, 2022 — Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide. Welcome to our awesome group of Active Minds interns! We’re so excited to work with them to continue changing the conversation around mental health. Diya Basu 1. Where are you from? I’m from Sammamish, WA (30 minutes outside Seattle). 2. Where do you go to school and […]

September 27, 2022 — Imagine coming home to your mom and asking her to do something you know she would never let you do, but you still ask. You feel that knot in your stomach, and your voice starts to quiver. Growing up, this is how I – and many other Hispanic children and young adults I knew – […]

September 23, 2022 — Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicidal ideation, religious trauma, and homophobia. I noticed from a young age that I was interested in both sexes. As a kid, I went to a private Catholic school from kindergarten through fifth grade before then attending a public middle school. I remember being preached to in second […]

September 22, 2022 — Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide. One of the hardest and most impactful elements of my role with Active Minds is the opportunity to spend time with the families and loved ones of those who have been lost to suicide. Despite the unfortunate circumstances under which we get to know each other, it’s […]

September 21, 2022 — Today marks the beginning of the second year of our Mental Health Advocacy Academy. The Academy is a unique leadership opportunity for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) high school students to create change in their schools and communities. Our 2022 youth advocates (listed below) will […]

September 15, 2022 — A new school year marks a new beginning, filled with determination, optimism, and, unfortunately, sometimes nervousness, dread, or feelings of overwhelm. It’s not uncommon when things start to feel difficult for students to forgo their self-care for academic achievement. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. As we start a new semester, I instead […]

September 13, 2022 — Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide statistics. Last Thursday, the Active Minds National Staff hosted a Fall Programs Open House, designed to share more about the mental health programs available to our community this season. If you weren’t able to attend, we encourage you to read more about the programs featured below and […]

September 12, 2022 — One day, I was unpacking my two oldest daughters’ backpacks (both elementary students), and a worksheet caught my attention. It was a “gratitude jar” coloring page, and both of my children scribbled into their jars pictures of things they most appreciated: our dog, their friends, cheese, and more. The worksheet stood out amid all the […]

September 10, 2022 — POV: You’re speaking on a stage alongside Selena Gomez, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, and U.S. First Lady Jill Biden where you’re getting to share your mental health advocacy story as a first-generation college student and Latino man who’s struggled with mental health.  Unlike other POV trends on TikTok and across other social media platforms, […]

September 7, 2022 — Active Minds is adding mental health to the list of things to check off your back-to-school list. To help, our two “Mental Health Prep” YouTube lives shared tips for managing your mental health at school, with a focus on anxiety, depression, and self-care. During our first live panel, Active Mind’s senior manager of K-12 student […]