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Tables covered in pamphlets, stress relievers, and fidgets stretched across the gym for the third annual Mental Health Expo. The sound of overlapping conversations by students filled the room as students moved through rows of booths, stopping to speak with representatives from organizations that provide mental health services, educational programs, and community resources.
The Student Government Association (SGA) put together its Mental Health Expo in the gym Friday, Jan. 23. Started by theatre senior Juliet Rojas and piano senior Karen Zhao in their sophomore year, currently the expo aims to provide students with mental health-related resources, featuring over 30 booths from various organizations for students to see what each one had to offer.
This year, with junior class president and communications junior Malina Asnani and Rojas running the event, SGA kicked off the event early Thursday, Jan. 22 with service dogs from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) at lunch and lollipops.
Palm Beach County Behavioral Health Coalition:
The Palm Beach County Behavioral Health Coalition is a nonprofit organization that has served the community for nearly 40 years, focusing on education, prevention, and access to mental health and substance use resources. The coalition works with families across the county to provide tools and skills that promote long-term well-being.
“We work to give families education, skills, resources, tools, so that they can be healthy and that they can thrive,” director of programs Amanda Aiken said. “We spread education about substance use prevention and mental health awareness to young people all across the county.”
One of their youth-led initiatives is Teen Coalition in Action (TCIA), a program that empowers high school students to spread awareness about mental health and substance use prevention while also offering meaningful community service opportunities.
“Our impact can really be seen in the decrease in youth substance use and youth drinking in Palm Beach County,” Aiken said. “We are steadily declining every year according to the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey.”
In addition to preservation efforts, the coalition also participates in prescription drug take-back initiatives aimed at reducing misuse in the community. The organization takes part in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, a nationwide initiative organized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that provides safe, anonymous disposal of unused medications. According to Aiken, the organization “collected over 200 pounds of unneeded prescription medications so that they couldn’t be misused in the community.”
In addition to treatment, the coalition uses prevention and knowledge as tools for change. At the Mental Health Expo, representatives spoke about challenges students face today, including the expectations that we are “constantly being exposed to” on social media. They also educated students about support resources, one being the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
“988 is the Mental Health Crisis Line, where you can text and call 24/7,” Aiken said. “It can help somebody who is just having a bad day and needs someone to talk to, all the way to somebody who might be considering harming themselves.” The Behavioral Health Coalition provided students with information about available resources and ways to access support.
“I think in today’s society, mental health concerns come from the dependency on our phones and the fact that social media is not normally real,” Aiken said. “What we see is what people want us to see, and so I think that kind of alters individuals’ perception of what real is. I think that’s a challenge that we all have to navigate.”
Cape Universal
Cape Universal is a cultural arts organization founded in 2019, led by director Anthony Bacchus, that works with schools and after-school programs across Palm Beach County. The organization uses creative outlets such as drumming, dance, digital arts, photography, and videography to shift mindsets and help students develop connections to their schools, families, and communities.
At the Mental Health Expo, Cape Universal focused on the role of creativity in emotional well-being and stress relief. Bacchus said that “sometimes you need to stop and breathe… and do something that could help you relax.”
Through initiatives like the Multicultural Youth Arts Festival, an event that brings together young artists and performers from across South Florida, the organization also aims to encourage students to share their voices, represent their schools, and serve as role models for younger children who are interested in the arts. The organization’s booth featured a live drumming demonstration by Bacchus, which students stopped to listen to.
“We really want to engage as many as possible in this Multicultural Youth Arts Festival,” Bacchus said. “We want them to be a part of it. We want them to submit art. We want them to play music and to represent the whole event. We want Dreyfoos to be represented.”
The American Association of Caregiving Youth:
The American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY) supports middle and high school students who take on the responsibility of caring for a chronically ill or disabled family member. Founded nearly 20 years ago and based in Boca Raton, the organization serves students across Palm Beach County and is active in 44 schools, reaching about 700 students so far this year. AACY provides free tutoring, skill-building programs, lunch-and-learns, and connections to community resources, ensuring that caregiving youth receive academic, emotional, and practical support at no cost.
“For those folks that are in the situation and want to provide services for their kids or their loved ones or their friends, we will come in and provide services, such as free tutoring,” community educator Milka Santos said. “We’ll build skills camps and learn, and everything we do is at no cost. We have a lot of resources that we provide to help.”
Jewish Family Service:
The Jewish Family Service (JFS) has operated in Palm Beach County for more than five decades, offering social and mental health services to individuals and families. Serving the Boynton Beach area and beyond, the organization provides counseling, psychiatric care, support groups, and assistance with food insecurity through its food pantry.
“We see challenges with anxiety and depression, which is a big one that I think all of us deal with at some level, but obviously when it’s to a more significant level, we need to get support for the students who are struggling with learning challenges and not understanding why they’re having hard times in school,” Iris Kiner, Director of Jewish Community Connections and Clinical Student Training licensed psychologist, said. “We can help with evaluations to help them identify what their chances are for accommodations.”
One of its growing initiatives is the Team Training Program, which equips high school students with tools to build healthy relationships, recognize mental health struggles, and address challenges associated with discrimination and antisemitism, with the teenagers later on “going out into the community to teach others.”
“We enjoy trying to educate students in mental health and making sure that they’re taking care of themselves and recognizing if they need more support, they know where to get it.”
The Unbreakable Organization:
The Unbreakable Organization was started by former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School teacher Brittany Sinitch in 2019 after the events of the Parkland school shooting. The organization aims to encourage students to protect their mental health via affirmations, workshops, and educational initiatives, primarily through their Instagram page page.
Since 2019, the organization has donated over $43,000 dollars in scholarships to students affected by gun violence. Each recipient of the scholarship joins a mentorship program that focuses on healing, connection, and personal growth. At the Mental Health Expo, students made bracelets and wrote positive affirmations for either themselves or their peers.
“I think mental health isn’t something that’s easy to talk about, and we need to give students the room and the space and create safe spaces for students to feel comfortable enough to open up about their mental health,” Sinitch said. “I think we break all the time as human beings, but it’s this idea that we can put our pieces back together again and find what makes us unbreakable.”
As students circulated the gym, they engaged with a range of organizations that addressed different aspects of mental health, from prevention to crisis support. The event brought together local nonprofits and service providers into one space to give students exposure to support that extends beyond the classroom.
“Doing activities like what we’re doing today, mindfulness, journaling, affirmation cards, just having fun together allows for those conversations to spark and take off,” Sinitch said.
Resources:
Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse inc
American Association of Caregiving Youth
Boynton Beach Mental Health Committee
Center for Family Services of PBC
Community Partners of South Florida
Ellie Mental Health Boca Raton
My Allergy is Driving Me Nuts!
National Alliance for Mental Illness
Palm Beach County Behavioral Health Coalition
Palm Beach School District Department of Behavioral and Mental Health
Palm Beach County Youth Services Department