BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – On Thursday, Husson University hosted the Second Annual Youth Mental Health Summit, an event designed by high school students, for high school students. The summit aimed to address the mental health challenges faced by young people today, providing valuable tools, insights, and conversations to foster awareness and create support systems for their peers.
A Student-Led Initiative
The summit was born from the efforts of high school students who dedicated their time during the summer to volunteer and explore careers in healthcare. Stacey Coventry, the Director of Community Engagement at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, explained that a special group of student managers helped coordinate the summit as part of their summer program. This group had a passion for making an impact, and a couple of years ago, they chose to focus on mental health as their passion project.
“We wanted to not just help youth struggling in the emergency department but to prevent more children from going through mental health crises,” Coventry said. The event was designed not only to offer help to those already in crisis but to provide coping strategies and encourage open conversations among peers, preventing the need for emergency interventions.
Promoting Open Dialogue and Coping Strategies
One of the key goals of the summit was to offer youth tools for managing their mental health and creating a dialogue around these topics. Ada Sinclair-Steele, a student from John Bapst Memorial High School, emphasized the importance of giving peers coping strategies and helping to open up conversations about mental health. The summit aimed to start the dialogue early to provide the support that can prevent crises later on.
The event featured a range of workshops and activities designed to introduce young people to different approaches to mental health and therapy. Coventry highlighted the significance of providing a variety of therapeutic modalities beyond traditional talk therapy. She said that while talk therapy is effective, it can be difficult for some to speak openly about their struggles, especially when sitting across from someone they don’t know. To address this, the summit included workshops on alternative therapies, such as art therapy, yoga, meditation, and dance.
“The sections like art therapy were the chattiest, where students were connecting with each other and discussing their mental health. This showed us how important it is to have different outlets for expression,” Coventry said. These workshops allowed students to explore new methods of dealing with their emotions and learn how to manage stress and anxiety in healthy ways.
Fostering Empowerment and Connection
One of the key moments during the summit was the guest speaker, who shared their personal experiences to help students understand that they are not alone in their mental health struggles. Emme Nguyen, a student at Bangor High School, spoke about how the event changed her perspective on mental health. She explained that, before attending the summit, she thought fear and vulnerability were signs of weakness. However, after hearing the speaker and participating in the discussions, she realized that sharing fears is actually empowering, and it made her feel less isolated.
Nguyen said, “I think it’s something not necessarily talked about enough, which is why so many people are struggling with it today. Hearing the guest speaker made me realize that others probably have the same fears I do too. Spreading awareness and knowing that you aren’t alone is really important.”
Creating Lasting Change
The summit’s primary goal was not just to provide coping strategies but also to encourage young people to speak up about their mental health challenges and to build a supportive community. It was an event designed to inspire change, empowering students to take an active role in their mental well-being and help their peers do the same.
By providing students with different avenues for self-expression and creating an open environment where they could discuss their feelings without fear of judgment, Husson University’s Second Annual Youth Mental Health Summit served as an essential step toward breaking the stigma surrounding mental health. This event demonstrated the powerful impact young people can have when they are given the tools and platform to create change within their communities.
As students left the summit, they took with them not only coping techniques but also a sense of empowerment and the knowledge that their voices matter in the ongoing conversation about youth mental health.
