This August

She Soars
Aug 29
2 min read

This August, She Soars had the honor of joining powerful community conversations and events that put youth voices and mental health at the center. From celebrating educators to learning new tools for healing, here is how we are ending the summer:

On August 14th, She Soars participated in the “Chat and Chew with National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter (NC100BW-MAC): Inform, Empower, Inspire” teacher appreciation lunch. We were proud to thank the dedicated teachers and staff who support the Teens on the Move (TOTM). We are also excited to continue working with our youth ambassadors from TOTM through mentoring, field trips, self-esteem and career-building workshops, and more!

Learn more about what NC100BW-MAC is doing to advance the educational needs of Black adolescent girls in Atlanta:

https://ncbw-metroatlchapter.org/what-we-do

On August 15th, Atlanta Regional Collaborative for Health Improvement (ARCHI) hosted “Youth Mental Health in Focus: Healing, Help, and Hope,” a community conversation on breaking stigma in mental health, expanding access, and empowering the next generation. We were inspired by a powerful panel of community leaders, including a special guest speaker, Marquis Hill, who shared how he overcame his mental health struggles through fostering a positive mindset. Following the panel, we participated in a Community Resilience Model (CRM) training where we learned how trauma affects the body and how resilience can be restored. We look forward to sharing these practical tools with the girls we serve, helping them manage stress, navigate trauma, and remember their strength.

Visit ARCHI’s website here to learn more about how they are advancing health for the people of Atlanta: https://archicollaborative.org/

On August 23rd, we attended the Youth Voice Input Lunch hosted by our colleagues from Youth Voice Matters, who are doing outstanding work in training adults to provide shared spaces for teens to freely express themselves. Along with other community-based organizations that work closely with young people, we were part of break-out rooms and group discussions for sharing our reflections on how to prioritize meaningful youth voices to strengthen our communities and beyond. From our time at the Youth Voice Input Lunch, we are even more committed to being allies for the young people we serve by creating a space based on trust, care, and respect where they can thrive and make a difference in their communities.

Thank you, ARCHI, NC100BW-MAC, and Youth Voice Matters for your commitment to bettering the emotional and mental well-being of the youth in metropolitan Atlanta. As we move into the fall, we remain hopeful in advancing mental health equity for Black female-identifying individuals, fostering healing and a brighter future.

Written by Graduate Fellow Hasna Chowdhury, Master of Health Science Candidate in Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health