Becoming An Advocate

It’s funny, but I can’t even recall exactly when I signed up to begin receiving emails from DoSomething. I began participating in racial justice advocacy in February of 2020 when I signed up to participate in my school district’s group dedicated to creating an anti-racist vision statement. Through this group, and on my own time, I began to learn more about the racial disparities that exist outside of the classroom. My personal experiences have taught me that microaggressions happen in school every day; sometimes they’re caught, but more often than not, they get swept under the rug.

Around May of 2020, we had just ended one of our anti-racist vision group meetings, and I was in complete frustration at just how bad the inequities and inequalities in mental health were, particularly for students of color. For over half my life, I have been lucky enough to have access to and benefit from therapy. I realized that day that I was naive to the fact that many do not have this luxury.

Coincidentally a week later, I received an email from DoSomething, inviting me to participate in the Allstate Foundation and DoSomething Racial Justice Innovators hackathon focused on solving various societal issues as they related to racial justice. And bonus: each applicant could choose a subgroup category to focus on for the event. My groupmates and I decided to focus on mental health as our subcategory, and somehow, our idea won, leading to the creation of DoSomething’s latest campaign on mental health: It’s (NOT) All in Your Head! This campaign is activating my peers to share mental health resources with students in their schools and help them advocate for additional mental health resources.

Here’s the crazy thing: I had never participated in a hackathon before and I barely knew the people I was working with. I can confidently say that the fact that we were all there for the same reasons--to push for more access to mental health resources--contributed to our success. This hackathon not only allowed me to serve as an advocate for mental health, but it allowed me to form new relationships with my peers. To this day we still keep in touch and I’m really thankful for my two teammates, as well as our mentor. This campaign truly was created for young people, by young people.

My main hope for this campaign is that the conversation around mental health continues to open up even more than it already has. It’s no secret that there is a stigma in society around mental health and going to therapy. For so long, conversations around mental health and going to therapy have been played off and joked about. I believe we are so close to grasping that these things aren’t a joke--no one should be ashamed of going to therapy, and it’s okay to not be okay.

Here’s the cool thing--You can help fight the stigma of mental health! Here are some ways I think young people can enact change right now:

1. Participate in It’s (NOT) All In Your Head and Share Posters

Sharing posters as a part of the It’s (NOT) All in Your Head campaign helps bring awareness about the need for mental health resources in our schools and communities.

2. Check-in on Your Loved Ones

Check in on your friends, especially the distant ones. And if you’re the distant one, that’s okay. A reminder that it’s okay to not be okay. But it’s also okay to reach out and ask for help.

3. Get Involved

Get involved in opportunities, groups, movements, and clubs that evoke radical change. Even if a group is geared more towards adults, youth voices will always matter. Use your voice not only for yourself but for your fellow students.

4. Know Your Emotions are Valid

Whenever the voices, be in your head or from another person, tell you that what you’re going through is all made up, remember that every emotion you feel is valid and real. It’s not all in your head, and there are definitely people and resources out there that can help.