Washington, D.C. — MTV Entertainment Studios recently announced a round of grants to mental health organizations and causes, including the American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF) in partnership with HOPE Center Harlem, ahead of Mental Health Action Day. HOPE (Healing On Purpose and Evolving) Center Harlem seeks to provide quality therapeutic services and promote health and wellness to minoritized groups within the Harlem, NY, community.

APAF and HOPE Center Harlem will use the $10,000 grant to facilitate an after-school symposium for youth called “Let’s Talk: Youth Mental Health Action Day.” The symposium, free and open to the public, will occur on Mental Health Action Day (May 18) and will educate middle and high school students about mental health care and substance use challenges, with a specific focus on youth of color.

APAF’s programmatic areas promote mental health in schools, particularly the Notice. Talk. Act.® At School program. Notice. Talk. Act. at School trains administrators and teachers to recognize the symptoms of mental illness in students, engage the students, and connect them to resources in an effort to close the typically years-long period of time between the onset of mental illness and its diagnosis. The program has been shown to reduce truancy and discipline referrals in students by over 70%.

“We’re very excited about our emerging partnerships with MTV Entertainment Studios and HOPE Center Harlem and pleased to see them bear fruit,” said APAF Executive Director Rawle Andrews, Jr., Esq. “The APA Foundation is dedicated to supporting young people’s mental health and wellness because it is one of the most effective ways to ensure a bright future for our communities.”

The outcomes of the collaboration between APAF and HOPE Center Harlem will include a team of four youth ambassadors who will advocate for suicide awareness and prevention, increased mental health literacy among participants, and the creation of a community-based steering council to support the rollout of further programming.

“This grant from MTV allows us to rally the necessary resources to address mental health care for our youth,” said HOPE Center Director Lena Green, DSW, LCSW. “The HOPE Center and APAF are excited to provide more education and free services for supporting youth mental health and to help reduce the stigma related to mental illness. We are incredibly grateful to our APAF partners and to MTV for making this event possible.”

American Psychiatric Association Foundation

The American Psychiatric Association Foundation is the philanthropic and educational arm of APA. The APA Foundation promotes awareness of mental illnesses and the effectiveness of treatment, the importance of early intervention, access to care, and the need for high-quality services and treatment through a combination of public and professional education, research, research training, grants, and awards.

American Psychiatric Association

The American Psychiatric Association, founded in 1844, is the oldest medical association in the country. The APA is also the largest psychiatric association in the world with more than 38,000 physician members specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and research of mental illnesses. APA's vision is to ensure access to quality psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. For more information, please visit www.psychiatry.org.