Mental Health Of Black Youth Focus Of Program

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Strategies on getting through mental trauma were presented March 16 at the Black Family Wellness Expo held at Franklin High School.

The event was sponsored by the high school’s Black Youth Awareness and Voice for Change clubs, in conjunction with the Raritan Valley chapter of The Links, Inc., a worldwide service organization.

The day featured speakers such as Dorothy Reed, president of the township-based Sister2Sister, and Lisa Asare, Deputy Commissioner of the state Department of Human Services.

There was also a student panel discussion on “Trauma and the Black Family” and the state of mental health in the church.

Members of the FHS Black Youth Awareness Club presented spoken word and dance performances.

Gayle Nelson, the advisor for the two FHS clubs, said the purpose of the event, which was open to all students, was to “give an outlook on how important it is to guard our mental health.”

“I know kids go through a lot in school, and they don’t want to talk about it, but Voice For Change and Black Youth Awareness is inclusive, it’s for everyone,” she said. “We’re a place where kids can come as a safe space at the high school … and help each other.”

“We’re trying to do that peer-to-peer counseling and support,” she said. “Kids need to understand that it’s not all about fighting, it’s not all about social media, it’s about having conversations and learning and knowledge together, and that’s how we’re going to solve some issues at the high school.”

“Today kids sometimes are suffering in silence, and they’re embarrassed, they don’t know who to go to,” Nelson said. “Sometimes that makes them act out. It’s not always that the child is bad, it’s trauma they’re experiencing and not having someone to help guide them through whatever they have to get through to make them feel better.”

Lamyra Clarke-White, president of the Raritan Valley chapter of The Links, said the event was being held nationwide.

“We’re focusing on mental illness because we know that that’s very prevalent in the community and there’s a lot of stigma around it and, especially with our youth, we don’t address it enough, so we wanted to make sure that we highlight that and provide resources and tools for them today,” she said.

The event, she said, “is extremely import because we don’t focus on mental illness as a whole and we especially don’t focus on it with our children. They are taught you’ll get over it, it’s not that important, It’s a new feeling to them, so they don’t know how to address that.”

Here are some scenes from the event:

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