The 2022-2023 Mental Health America Young Mental Health Leaders Council (YMHLC) represents younger leaders from throughout the U.S. who’ve created applications and initiatives that fill gaps in conventional psychological well being companies of their communities. This yr’s cohort is working to handle psychological well being throughout many areas together with training, housing, foster care, habit restoration, and state-level coverage.
Over the subsequent a number of weeks, get to know the ten wonderful people utilizing their lived expertise and youth perspective to make huge variations within the lives of these round them.
Name: Mariama Bah
Pronouns: she/her
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina (emigrated from Guinea in 2009)
Leadership and different positions: Founder of Nation of Diversity, a nonprofit group that focuses on lowering homelessness and elevating consciousness for psychological well being by inventive arts
Photo submitted by Mariama Bah
Why did you wish to be a part of the YMHLC?
I really like the Mental Health America Youth Mental Health Leaders Council as a result of it offers younger folks the alternatives to advocate for psychological well being, they usually help and lead the council in a greater path. The YMHLC has helped me understand I’m not right here to treatment the world or to treatment psychological well being, however to lift the notice of it and produce folks collectively to point out compassion and love for others – as a result of all of us battle with psychological well being. Since I’ve joined the Leaders Council, my work has doubled, and I’ve extra alternatives with folks all over the world making an attempt to attach with my nonprofit. I’m so grateful for this chance.
Tell us about your work and pursuits.
My nonprofit focuses on serving to adolescents and adults to deal with their psychological well being to forestall them from being homeless. We do that by offering a peer group inventive arts house, doing all varieties of arts to speak about psychological well being and help each other whereas creating on the identical time. I really feel like we’re all too near being homeless, and day by day we have now to work additional onerous mentally to be snug on this world. Every different week we give to folks experiencing homelessness scorching meals and hygiene kits, together with some inspiring paintings to maintain going and native sources for shelter and remedy wants.
What is the most important lesson you’ve realized from different YMHLC members?
We are right here to lift consciousness and assist others as a lot as we are able to within the midst of all that we have now to care for ourselves. We all get so caught up giving to others, which as an individual who loves to present won’t ever cease, however I must care for myself within the course of, too, and to maintain remembering that I’m not right here to treatment psychological well being.
What are your psychological well being advocacy targets?
I wish to retailer confidence in folks and make them understand they’re particular, that every certainly one of us on this world is totally different and all of us have a function and one thing to supply and train each other. I consider all of us have particular items, and we are able to make the most of these items to unfold love.Just as a result of you’ve anxieties, melancholy, or different sickness, it would not outline you. You are nonetheless stunning.
Photo submitted by Photo submitted by Mariama Bah
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