Mental Health Action Day in Denver to drive culture of action for emotional wellbeing
For many young people maneuvering life's challenges, music is a way to find their voice. CBS Colorado, along with Paramount and MTV, provided a grant to Youth on Record (YOR), an organization that helps youth achieve their personal best through creative expression.
CBS
Sofia Young says writing and performing music has always been a way to process her emotions, "Going through the many, many changes you go through during middle school and high school, I just wrote it all down and sang about it. So that's what really helped me as a human being."
Sofia never imagined she'd pursue her art as a career, but she says taking part in the programs of Youth on Record changed her outlook.
"These are young creatives," said Youth on Record Mental Health and Wellness Manager Gavrielle Reyes. "These are musicians that are using storytelling to heal themselves."
Sofia is now an intern at YOR, and using her music to help others. She said, "I do try to empathize with everyone and put myself in other people's shoes, and then I make music to, you know, have people feel something and have people be understood."
CBS
For Mental Health Action Day - Youth on Record will train young artists on "mental health first aid", using tools such as the "A.S.K." method - Acknowledge - Support - Keep in Touch. Tools that anyone can use to make a difference in someone's life.
Moses Graytower, also an artist and intern, is looking forward to applying the training, saying, "Everybody deserves a robust tool kit, you know, to handle all the problems in their life. And I took that to heart, and I was like, man, just having the options and just knowing what things are and being able to address issues in a lot of different ways, I think it's incredibly valuable."
Responding to requests from its young participants, Youth on Record hired a full time mental health and wellness manager - Gavrielle Reyes - to help all the creatives here become mental wellness advocates. Reyes said, "And so they're not just their resilience. They are so much more than that, and we want to give them opportunities to be kids. Especially since some kids have to grow up so much faster than others."
CBS
Reyes says Youth on Record creates a "safe container," a reliable space to grow with skills youth can take anywhere.
This Thursday CBS Colorado anchor Karen Leigh will be joining Youth on Record for Mental Health Action Day. There will be a community concert to amplify the importance of mental health. The concert takes place May 15 from 5:30PM to 6:30PM at 1301 W. 10th Avenue in Denver.
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