Category Archives: Be The One

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Posted on by

GDG 2015@County-53

Did you know that half of us will have a mental health challenge in our lifetime? Help us raise awareness of the importance of good mental health for everyone. We need to speak up and help remove the shame and stigma, so that more people can be comfortable seeking the help they need. Mental illnesses are common and treatable, and help is available.

Join us on Tuesday, May 2nd at our kick-off event “Be The One – Reach Out to Support Your Peers” at the College of San Mateo from 10am – 1:30 pm.

May 2: Be the One – Reach Out to Support Your Peers

Posted on by

Join us on May 2nd as we kick-off Mental Health Awareness Month at the College of San Mateo from 10 am to 1:30 pm.  Learn how to support you and your peers mental wellness and help stop the stigma that often gets in the way of people getting help.  Visit www.smchealth.org/mentalhealthmonth for more information.

MHM2017_2
Print flyer.

May 2: Mental Health Resource and Art Fair

Posted on by

1 in 4 people have a mental health condition, but less than half are getting the help they need.  Join us to help stop the stigma during May Mental Health Awareness Month. Learn how to support a friend or family members’ mental wellness at the Mental Health Resource and Art Fair at College of San Mateo.  Register for the event or visit www.smchealth.org/mental health month for more info.

MHM2017

 

 

Community Pledges to “Be The One”

Posted on by

BeTheOneGalleryCommunity members, providers, partners and staff share their personal pledge to help “Be The One” to eliminate stigma in San Mateo County and help support friends, family and others in getting help for mental health concerns. See the entire gallery of folks who have pledged to “Be The One” and – help spread the work by sharing with your network!

May Mental Health Awareness Month Kick Off

Posted on by

May Mental Health Awareness Month (MHAM) Kick Off Event was a huge success with over 100 people in attendance. The Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE), along with other organizations serving San Mateo County,  led the planning of this event and many have organized a variety of events throughout the month of May.  The “Be the One” slogan is this year’s MHAM theme and the primary goal is to raise awareness and reduce stigma against individuals with mental health or substance use conditions and learn how to be the one to help.

MHAM_KickOff_Image#1

This year’s Kick Off event consisted of resource tables, a “Be the One” photo booth, art display, community artwork and a digital storytelling panel.  Individuals with lived experience with mental health and/or substance abuse conditions shared their stories through a short video they created that included any combination of video, sound, music, animation, photographs, and other images of their choosing.  Digital stories are an effective means of shedding light on important social issues including stigma and empowering individuals, as they share their personal journey.

Following is a list with links to view the digital stories that were screened in MHAM_KickOff_Image#2this year’s kick off event:

MHAM_KickOff_Image#3

Overall, the the kick off event was a humbling and inspiring experience as participants had the opportunity to listen to speakers who shared their personal stories with behavioral health conditions and also offer their voice through community artwork and their pledges to reduce stigma at the  Be the One photobooth.

ODE thanks all the organizations and planning committee members for the work they put into organizing a very successful Kick Off event, and the events throughout the month of May, as well as all the community members and providers who came out in support!

Written by: Martha Gonzalez

 

Honoring Our Journey Through The Power of Digital Storytelling

Posted on by

Witness the stories of courageous individuals and celebrate their recovery journey at Seeing Through Stigma’s Honoring Our Journey Through The Power of Digital Storytelling on May 14 from Noon – 3:00PM. This event is part of Mental Health Awareness Month and will be held at Heart and Soul, Inc (205 Industrial Road, Ste. 205 in San Carlos). For more information, contact Cardum Harmon at cardumh@heartandsoulinc.org.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Join us at one of the Mental Health Awareness events throughout San Mateo County as we stand up and work together to help everyone live a healthy life. Visit http://smchealth.org/bhrs/mentalhealthmonth to view a list of events and their locations.

Honoring the Individual Journey

Posted on by

Join the Peer Recovery Collaborative as they view digital stories from individuals with lived mental health and substance abuse experiences and discuss what it means “to see beyond diagnosis” and the importance of acknowledging the whole person. Plan to attend this exciting event on Thursday, May 12 from 1:00 – 3:00PM at the San Mateo Public Library (55 W 3rd Avenue in San Mateo).

For more information about this event, visit http://bit.ly/23FvUzI.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services is raising awareness about the important role mental health plays in our lives and encouraging members of the community to learn more about their own mental health and to take action if they are experiencing symptoms of a mental illness. Find out about the Mental Health Awareness Month events happening this month at http://smchealth.org/bhrs/mentalhealthmonth.

Connecting with Youth Leaders at the 2016 San Mateo County Youth Conference

Posted on by

On March 19th, Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) staff  joined over a dozen community partners at the College of San Mateo in connecting with our youth leaders at the 2016 San Mateo County Youth Conference: Change Starts with Us: Find Your Path to Make a Change! During the conference lunch hour, ODE staff provided information on behavioral health resources and engaged youth in our “Be the One” campaign which invites everyone to share how they will “be the one” to end stigma and discrimination to those with mental health conditions. Fifteen youth and young adults participated in our “Be the One” campaign by submitting a postcard pledge or participating in our “Be the One” photo booth where they took a picture with their personalized pledge on how they want to end stigma.

Youth Conf 2016

L-R: Phillip Chen (ODE), Youth Commission Program Coordinator Ana Avendano and Sylvia Leung (ODE).

To learn more about the 2016 Youth Conference, visit https://sites.google.com/site/smcyouthconference2016.

To learn more about how you can help end stigma, visit www.smchealth.org/bhrs/stigma.

To view our “Be the One” photo booth pledges, visit www.smcbhrsblog.org/betheonesmc/.

 

SPECIAL FEATURE #6: PROMOTING POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES – Stigma Free San Mateo County

Posted on by

Stigma Free San Mateo County (SFSMC) is an initiative of the Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) to eliminate stigma and end the discrimination against people with mental illness and substance use issues. One in four people have a mental health condition yet, less than 50% are getting the help they need because of the stigma and fear of being judged.

“…it’s all about raising awareness about mental health, talking about mental health and normalizing mental health so that it’s an every day conversation and people can get the help that they need just like any other medical condition,” says Katy Davis, Workforce Education and Training Coordinator.

SFSMC includes the Lived Experience Academy, Lived Experience Advocacy Academy, Skyline Community College Images of Stigma Series and the Be the One Campaign, an effort to get everyone involved in eliminating stigma by getting informed about mental illness and signing a pledge (www.smchealth.org/takethepledge) to end stigma.

Enjoy this short video clip and visit our Be the ONE website to learn more about how to get involved.

Once a week I shared BHRS Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) prevention programs through a series of short video clips created by the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA), funded by the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). This was the last of the videos, hope you enjoyed them!

Nearly 100 Individuals Pledge to “Be the One” During Recovery Month

Posted on by

This month, nearly 100 additional individuals personally pledged to help reduce the stigma around mental health and substance use disorders in San Mateo County – to support individuals in getting the help they need. From clients, providers, family members, county staff and community members…see all their heartfelt and empowering messages of support on “Be The One.”

BeTheOne

« Older Entries Recent Entries »