Good Works Lab in Traverse City will hold its first ever conference on youth mental health next month. The event is called “Elevate Northern Michigan: A Youth Mental Health Summit for Young Leaders and Those Who Love Them.”
The conference will be from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Aug. 9 at Northwestern Michigan College’s Innovation Center. Four speakers will be featured at the event. They will discuss neuroscience, leadership and how to support someone dealing with mental health issues.
Jessie Williams, an administrator at Good Works Lab, said talking about mental health can be difficult, especially for young people. Conferences like Elevate can give people more confidence to tackle tough conversations, she said.
“We really believe this event is important to boost knowledge, to connect people and also just really help them foster these conversations,” Williams said. “To normalize talking about mental health, talking about our own mental health problems and to constantly fight the stigma are things we really, really strongly believe in.”
Williams said most people who participated in GWL’s events became more aware of youth mental health issues and more comfortable sharing mental health resources. That’s according to a survey done by GWL, she said.
Registrations is free, but space is limited to 60 people, Williams said. Anyone can sign up to attend at GWL’s wesbite.
