BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – A Northern Light event at Husson University Tuesday morning allowed students from several Bangor-area high schools to connect with mental health resources.
The 3rd annual Youth Mental Health Summit took place at Husson’s Gracie Theater. The event opened up with mental health advocate Ivy Watts as a keynote speaker.
Throughout the day, students also participated in various breakout groups with 22 community speakers, including resources from nature assisted therapy to conversations about suicide prevention.
Northern Light Community Engagement Director Stacey Coventry says this enables help for students, parents and faculty to have more open dialogue surrounding mental health struggles.
“Middle school and high school numbers for suicidal ideation and our suicide numbers are on the rise here in Maine, it’s pretty scary. We want to start a dialogue, and we want to let our teens know that we are here, that we are listening, and we want to support them in any way we can,” says Coventry.
Northern Light says more than 200 people attended, making this their largest mental health summit to date.
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