Next week is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week! We want to take some time today and share some of the resources, projects, and more that Youth MOVE is doing this year in celebration of CMHA!
MOVE It Forward is a chance for all of us to work together on a singular issue at the same time. This year’s theme is Pieces of Me.
MOVE It Forward is the slogan for much deeper work—uniting individual youth from Youth MOVE chapters and other networks across the country in crafting and presenting a message; a demand for change. Each year the most pressing issue for our network may change, but Youth MOVE will still be here to MOVE It Forward.
Keep an eye on our social media over the month of May, as we will be featuring stories from various projects from this toolkit as well as other spaces including an Instagram live series sharing youth voices from around the country.
2022 Toolkit: Pieces of Me
Over the last year, Youth MOVE National has had the opportunity to put forth projects under the umbrella of the Youth MOVE Change Initiative (YMCI), a space created to enhance the peer workforce for BIPOC & LGBTQIA2S+ individuals. Our focus for this year’s CMHA / MIF is centered around intersectional perspectives as they relate to our personal identity and youth-serving systems using some of the platforms that the YMCI has created.
Nationwide Project:
Intersectional Stories
Since our theme this year focuses on parts of our identity that should be promoted and uplifted, we want to share our stories of how our individual identities (race, gender identity, sexuality, socioeconomic status, religion, and more) intersect with our mental health. In an effort to highlight our stories and how mental health systems can work for us, we want to share those experiences & resources in a wall of stories.
We have a public Padlet board with some open-ended prompts where you can share drawings, writing/poetry, audio samples, images, video, links, and more! The term “story” is loosely defined – we want to find ways to celebrate you and talk about mental health! This flexible space allows you to share whatever answer each question for you! Want to share a song from spotify or upload an original podcast? We have space and want you to share Pieces of You with the world! We only ask that you share a little about how/why you are sharing a specific piece of media (whether it is a personal creation or an inspirational share).
Intersectional Portraits
The Youth MOVE Change Initiative (YMCI) is an effort within YMN that seeks to amplify the Youth Peer Support movement with a focus on BIPOC & LGBTQ+ communities. As part of this initiative, we are launching “Intersectional Perspectives,” an online gallery featuring youth and young adults with lived experience. Throughout the life of this project, YMCI participants affirmed the importance of learning from other leaders with lived experience.
Throughout the month of May, check our Intersectional Perspectives Portrait project for features of youth voices talking about identity and mental health!
Celebrate Children’s Mental Health Awareness –
No matter what your plan is for CMHA Day, we challenge you to post something on your website or social media about your project. If you are looking to get youth together to submit to Intersectional Stories or join us in celebrating our series on intersectional portraits, use this day to start marketing your projects! On May 5th, share a message online that will be part of your larger campaign. If you have established an idea, make it bigger! Make a flyer, share a graphic, or share a video of your group chatting about the idea. Be sure to @YouthMOVENational and tag us on social media platforms! #PiecesOfMe #CMHA2022 #MoveItForward.
