On Thursday, MTV’s Mental Health Action Day, nonprofit organizations across the U.S. staged events to inspire people not to just talk about mental health, but to take action.
In Broward County, students at Coral Springs Middle School kicked off the day with the most important meal and a lesson.
“They are going through testing, navigating so many things in their life, it doesn’t have to be complicated though,” Unbreakable’s Brittany Sinitch said.
Unbreakable, a local nonprofit, was started by Sinitch who saw a need for more tools and resources for young people going through tough times.
“A focus on mental health and being able to provide these resources so that the students never feel alone,” she said.
The group won a grant from MTV to help put on the event and to promote ways to address mental health issues throughout the year.
At Thursday’s event, students were treated to donuts and music. They also had several stations to choose from, each one with an activity to calm the mind, share feelings and boost positivity.
“Sometimes it can be really hard to speak kindly to yourself, but we were doing it. We’re doing the hard things. We’re saying ‘I am brave, I am strong’, so it’s really beautiful,” Sinitch said.
Every student at the school was given a journal to take home to serve as a tool for sharing feelings and as a reminder there are ways to take care of one’s mental wellbeing.
