We are thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2023 Changemaker Awards sponsored by Shift, an organization that coaches teams and organizations on how to use continuous improvement methods to design and get the most impact out of their work. Shift is passionate about supporting youth to use their agency and voice to improve mental […]
Our Minds Matter kicked off 2023 by hosting a virtual Student Leader Social on Saturday, January 21 . We loved seeing students gather for this meet-up, where they connected and brainstormed with one another regarding self care, school-wide campaigns, and leading their clubs. After a fun warm-up activity where students guessed the names of […]
We loved every minute of our bright night! And we are so grateful to everyone who made our 10th anniversary a huge success — including the 180 attendees who were there with us on Friday, December 9th in downtown DC to mark this milestone achievement. One of the most amazing parts of the night was […]
We are thrilled to share that our Executive Director, Lauren Anderson, has been named a 2022 Washingtonian of the Year! Read Lauren’s interview and see the whole list of Washingtonians here! This year, the Washingtonian gave the honor to 11 locals “who make our region an even better place.” The list includes journalist Bob Woodward, pitcher Sean Doolittle, and nonprofit executive directors like Adriana Gomez Schellhaas (Casa […]
The Why The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health concerns. On March 31st, 2022, the CDC shared that in 2021, more than a third (37%) of high school students reported experiencing poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Real solutions are needed to address the rise of mental health concerns and suicide among high school […]
In March 2010, with the nudge of a close college friend, my family and I began raising money through an annual run we created in Josh’s memory. We didn’t yet have a firm plan of how we would use the donations–but we knew we wanted to reach teens directly with mental health resources and support. […]
We are so excited to announce that Our Minds Matter has been chosen as a first-round recipient of a $50,000 grant from Born This Way Foundation’s Kindness in the Community Fund. Born This Way Foundation, co-founded by Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, supports the mental health of young people and works with them […]
by Kheira Bekkadja This past fall, I started my first semester of college with a life-long goal of working to build bridges literally by studying civil & infrastructure engineering and figuratively through de-stigmatizing mental health and youth empowerment. My passion for mental health started as a sophomore in high school, when I served as the […]
Happy Pride Month! Pride is a wonderful time for LGBTQ+ folks to celebrate their identity and community, and a good time for aspiring allies to show their support. It’s also an important time to talk about LGBTQ+ mental health. According to the Trevor Project’s National Survey on LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health 2021, 75% of […]
