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September 22, 2026 — Trigger Warning: Themes of Suicide I remember being annoyed at my brother for not being more enthusiastic about Christmas. It was late in the evening, and my mom was already in bed as my dad asked us to stop fighting. I was frustrated that he intervened, we weren’t arguing just bickering.

September 22, 2026 — Back to school can be hard for parents and guardians of youth and young adults trying to get back into routine after three months of laissez faire curfews and late night movie based bedtimes.

September 14, 2026 — Hi! We are Active Minds at Virginia Commonwealth University. We have been supporting VCU students’ mental health and wellbeing since 2015, and have thirty members.

September 14, 2026 — “When you’re falling in Dupont and there’s nobody around, did you ever even crash or even make a sound?” – note on the Dupont Memorial tree, September 2026.

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 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.!