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accessHealthNews.net
March 2024
Volume 10 | Issue No. 82
The acceptance of the status quo.
The resignation that circumstances are
unalterable. The belief that change is
impossible. That's the underlying message
of the dismissive phrase, "That's just the
way it is."
However, the Young Leaders Council,
sponsored by the nonprofit organization
Mental Health America (MHA), is on a
mission to dispel that thinking. Jackie
Menjivar, MHA manager of peer and youth
advocacy, oversees the annual 6-month
program that recruits a cohort of 10 young
adults aged 18-25 from across the country.
By giving them a platform to have a voice
in mental health advocacy, these leaders
help to develop programs and initiatives
that fill gaps in mental health support in
their communities.
The 2022-2023 Young Leaders Council's
most recent cohort released its annual
report, "Challenging, Sustaining, and
Evolving: An Anthology on Youth Mental
Health Advocacy (and Hope)." Menjivar
explains, "This year's report is different
from any past years, as it's an anthology
reimagined with first-person stories."
Six of the ten council members authored
a section for the report with a personal
advocacy story that reflects on the
perspectives of what it's like to bring
about change as a youth mental health
advocate and the challenges that come
with it.
Menjivar sat with four of the anthology's
authors on an MHA webinar, "Unspoken
Truths: Being a Young Person in Advocacy
Spaces," to discuss the complexities,
challenges, and victories they encounter
in their work as youth activists.
Menjivar sat with four of the anthology's
authors on an MHA webinar, "Unspoken
Truths: Being a Young Person in Advocacy
Spaces," to discuss the complexities,
challenges, and victories they encounter
in their work as youth activists.
"That's just the way it is. Some things will never change."
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- Bruce Hornsby
