May is Mental Health Awareness Month and we were thrilled to kick off the month with a community event to Shine a Light on Mental Health. Over 60 community members gathered at the gazebo downtown to acknowledge the importance of focusing on mental health, to honor those who struggle and to highlight all the supportive things happening in our community around mental health awareness.
The event began with attendees participating in the May 1 activity on the NCUFY Youth Coalition Mental Health Awareness Calendar. Asked to reflect on things they were grateful for, participants highlighted friends, family, health and community among others. Attendees left with a journal to use for future reflections this month and beyond. You can find more information about the calendar here. Follow us on Facebook (@newcastleunitedforyouth) and InstaGram (@ncufy) for daily posts based on the calendar this month.
The NCUFY Steering Committee then welcomed attendees, thanking our co-sponsor the Chappaqua PTA and the Roy family for working together to create this community event. Local resident and mental health practitioner Jennifer Naparstek Klein helped to frame the importance of mental health awareness and the ability to seek help. Horace Greeley High School Mental Wellness Club co-presidents Jordan Klein and Jolie Leibner shared a youth perspective on mental health and emphasized the importance of being there for one another. NCUFY Youth Coalition Coordinator Ally Kuhn told the crowd about the origins of the youth coalition’s calendar project and explained how people could use the calendar to continue to make the month a time to focus on their own mental health.
Attendees left the event with a Shine the Light jar and an opportunity to share some delicious soft serve ice cream while connecting with other community members. Thanks to the Chappaqua PTA for providing the ice cream!
Look for the NCUFY banners hanging downtown, on the bridge and in Millwood reminding the community to “Shine a Light” on mental health throughout mental health awareness month. You can see photos of the banners and from the event by viewing this album.