Westchester High School Student Creates an Event to Help Foster Awareness Around Teen Mental Health

Sarah Nabi, a sophomore at Hendrick Hudson High School is creating an event to be held on Sunday, May 1^st from 3-5pm at Congregation Sons of Israel located 1666 Pleasantville Rd, Briarcliff Manor, NY dedicated to fostering awareness about teen mental health.  Sarah is calling the event, “No Stigma.”

The event, which is free to the public, will feature a keynote speaker trained in teen mental health, a nutrition worship led by Stacy Hendrie, a certified health coach, mental health workshop, a meditation workshop and refreshments. Sarah has also created a website for the event where she will be posting information as the date gets closer:  https://www.nostigmateen.com  

The pandemic and the isolation from a year plus of remote learning has led many teens to experience mental health challenges. Sarah’s goal for this first event is to remove the stigma around mental health conversations for teens. 

As Sarah says, “Many people struggle with mental health at some point in their lives, but it’s hard to talk about it and to ask for help without feeling like there is something wrong with you. Our aim is to remove the stigma around teen mental health conversations.”

Sarah’s initiative is her way of honoring her great-grandfather who was a World War I veteran and a recipient of the Victoria Cross who suffered from undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Sarah says, “Because there was no knowledge about mental illness and PTSD, my great- grandfather was left unsupported and unable to cope with his trauma. I want to avoid what happened to my great-grandfather by starting conversations that weren’t started then due to societal stigma. My wish for this event is for teens to be equipped with tools to better understand themselves and what they are going through.”

There is no charge to attend Sarah’s event but registration is required by emailing nostigmainfo@gmail.com.  Sarah has also set up a GoFundMe campaign to help defray the costs of the event which she and her family are absorbing. Any additional funds remaining after paying for the costs will be donated to Active Minds, a non-profit organization promoting teen mental health. Donations can be made using this link: https://gofund.me/14d6b8c7

Sarah says, “with this event, we hope to start conversations about teen mental health wherever those discussions are needed.”