Today, a group of Camden Academy students were part of an ImmSchools Mental Health event. This event serves as a lead-in to National Mental Health Month in May, highlighting the importance of supporting student well-being.
ImmSchools is a national nonprofit dedicated to helping schools better serve immigrant students through education, advocacy, and support. Ms. Urena, the event’s organizer, emphasized the importance of students being prepared when it comes to their mental health and how events like this help students learn ways to cope with stress and manage it in healthy ways.
“Today’s event is about mental health and well-being,” Urena explained. “With May being Mental Health Month, this month is also National Stress Month, and we are combining the two to make sure students are aware of resources and that they have access to those resources whether they are in school or in the community.”
The guest speaker was Jose Fernandez Brito, who provided vital information and resources to the students in attendance. We caught up with him after the presentation.
“We understand mental health is something every student deals with, but immigrant students face unique barriers like language, access, and stigma,” Fernandez Brito explained. “We wanted students to talk about stress and also think about how they take care of themselves and their families.”
One of the students in attendance for the event was Dariel Ciperian, a senior at Camden Academy.
“It taught me a lot,” Ciperian explained. “I have immigrant parents, so it helped me understand things I didn’t know. I’ve helped others who were unsure about school because of misinformation. We talk about school, life, and college, and I can use what I learned to help my community.”
The event highlighted the importance of mental health awareness and the power of providing students with resources that extend beyond the classroom.