Workshop: Culturally Responsive Mental Health Support for Diverse Youth Communities

This workshop is open to AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA members and program staff.

Culturally Responsive Mental Health Support for Diverse Youth Communities

In this interactive workshop from The JED Foundation, participants will learn information that will allow them to describe the mental health landscape for BIPOC youth and LGBTQ+ youth, reflect on how youth identity is linked to sense of belonging and mental health, and apply principles of culturally responsive support for mental health to their interactions with youth. Members of these communities have recently become increasingly vulnerable to mental health concerns and it is important to identify and implement protective factors by infusing culturally responsive practices and trauma informed strategies in our work. Learn about these and other actions you can take to support youth in these vulnerable communities.

Presenters/Facilitators

The workshop will be presented and facilitated by Dr. Wenimo Okoya, JED Director of High School Implementation, and Dr. Thea Zunick, JED Manager of Community Engagement.

Wenimo Okoya

Wenimo joined JED after 11 years of working in and with schools in communities of color. She started her career as a middle school teacher and after seeing the health disparities that affected her students and their families, she decided to pursue her Master of Public Health at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and later an Ed.D. in Health Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where her research focus was the adoption of trauma sensitive practices in NYC schools. Most recently, she left the Children’s Health Fund where for six years she helped build and run a school-based health program. She has also trained over thousands of school professionals, presented at various national conferences, and teaches at CUNY Lehman College and Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

Thea Zunick

Thea brings more than 15 years of experience in higher education, volunteer engagement, social justice, wellness initiatives, and training and development to JED. Her passion for supporting teens and college students stems from direct engagement with student leaders across the country through speaking engagements and direct campus advisement. Thea earned an Associate’s Degree from Middlesex County College, a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Elementary Education from The College of New Jersey, a Master’s degree in Student Personnel in Higher Education from University of Florida, and a Doctorate of Education for the Design of Learning Environments from Rutgers University.

The Jed Foundation

The Jed Foundation is a non-profit organization that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults in the United States. JED partners with high schools and colleges to strengthen their mental health, substance misuse and suicide prevention programs and systems.