Albany, NY, September 20th – The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Capital Region New York, in collaboration with the local chapter of Active Minds, will be hosting the Second Annual New York State Mental Health Week program from October 5th-16th. This multi-county community initiative serves to combat the stigma associated with mental health as well as offer dozens of free events, training, workshops, seminars, and other activities to promote positive wellness and self-care.
This program was made possible thanks to the generous support of the University at Albany, SUNY Empire, SUNY Schenectady, SUNY Adirondack, Union College, Russell Sage College, Skidmore College, Siena College, Maria College, Bryant & Stratton College, and Hudson Valley Community College. NAMI and Active Minds will also be collaborating with many other community partners for this program, including the Mental Health Association of New York State, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Pride Center of the Capital Region, Unity House of Troy, St. Peter’s Health Partners, and the New York State Offices for Mental Health, Domestic Violence Prevention, and Veterans Affairs.
The kickoff event for the program will be the NAMI Walks event on Saturday, October 5th from 9am - 1pm at Washington Park, Albany, and the program’s culminating Stronger than the Stigma fair will take place on Sunday, October 27th from 10am - 4pm at the University at Albany ETEC Building. The fair will feature live music performances, therapy dogs, scheduled activities, and guest speeches from New York State Senator Jake Ashby,2023 Miss New York State Victoria Treadwell, and Children’s Author Jessieca Montgomery, among many others.
There will also be a Capital Region Mental Health Town Hall, scheduled on World Mental Health Day, Thursday, October 10th, from 6-8 pm. This community town hall will include both prominent leaders in the local mental health field, as well as a group of student panelists representing each of the participating colleges and acting as the voice for how we can address the youth mental health crisis. Finally, the program’s Keynote Speaker Symposium is scheduled for Wednesday, October 16th, 6-7:30 pm at HVCC, featuring the previously mentioned Victoria Treadwell, national/international mental health advocate Taylor Locke, and Tim Parent (TPP), author and creator/co-host of the Apple Podcast Pieces to Wellness.
All of these programs are completely free to attend. For more information and a complete list of events, visit the program website at https://namicapitalregionny.org/mental-health-week/