At this week's Round Table, Inica, Jack, Kenisha, and Madeline spoke with Sasha Simon, leader of the BIPOC Mental Health Coalition, established in May 2020 and funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The Coalition is an emerging and diverse group of 30 youth-serving organizations across the nation and is dedicated to helping the mental health of BIPOC youth and advancing racial justice. Given the impact of Covid 19 over the past 18 months, social isolation, anxiety, depression, intergenerational trauma, and other issues have increased and the language, desires, & experiences faced by BIPOC youth have evolved. Sasha actively listens to youth for their input & learns more about the ways that intergenerational politics have stunted the mental health resources available to BIPOC youth. She reminds us, “As BIPOC folks, we have probably experienced our trauma for generations and there’s a lot that needs to be unpacked. We need to speak, normalize, and seek out support.” Sasha encourages us, as youth, to have a liberating and revolutionary approach to mental health advocacy: she challenged us to start a petition, find resources for your community, to make mental health matter. We’re posing that question to you too: how can YOU make a positive change around mental health in your community? Thank you for listening!
