These are the submissions from the contest which ended on April 15, 2020
Encouraging emerging adults to speak openly about behavioral health & seek assistance.
Book Recommendations &
Discussion Guides
This page was created to provide young adults with information on the best books out there that have behavioral health and wellness themes! Lead by our Youth Advisory Board members, every other month, we'll share a young adult, mental health-focused book selection for anyone (aged 14 to 25) to read. We'll then share discussion guides that will help you interpret the themes and important plot points of each book. Host book club meetings with your peers OR simply read and interpret the books on your own!
WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY LOVING:
"The Words We Keep" by Erin Stewart
Synopsis from goodreads.com: "It's been three months since The Night on the Bathroom Floor--when Lily found her older sister Alice hurting herself. Ever since then, Lily has been desperately trying to keep things together, for herself and for her family. But now Alice is coming home from her treatment program and it is becoming harder for Lily to ignore all of the feelings she's been trying to outrun.
Enter Micah, a new student at school with a past of his own. He was in treatment with Alice and seems determined to get Lily to process not only Alice's experience, but her own. Because Lily has secrets, too. Compulsions she can't seem to let go of and thoughts she can't drown out.
When Lily and Micah embark on an art project for school involving finding poetry in unexpected places, she realizes that it's the words she's been swallowing that desperately want to break through."
Mental Health in Media Guide
A deep dive into how the media depicts mental health and what needs to change.
Excerpt from the guide: "The term media encapsulates a variety of mediums: art, film, news, literature, social media, and more! At its core, media is a form of communication. We may engage with media to see our stories reflected and validated, or to expand our worldview by interacting with unfamiliar stories.
Media has a big impact on our knowledge and attitudes, especially about topics with which we may not have personal experience. So, fair and accurate portrayals of mental health in media are key to reducing the stigma surrounding mental health, which can further isolate individuals with mental illness and discourage them from seeking help."
Click this image to
download the guide.
