Dublin Students Host Mental Health Event For Middle Schoolers

Dublin CA

03 March, 2022

5:14 PM

Description

DUBLIN, CA — With a war, pandemic, climate change, political polarization, inflation, the demands of school and work, and so much more, there's no question that 2022 is full of anxiety. In response, two Dublin High School juniors and Pleasanton-based mental health nonprofit Z-Cares will hold a mental health symposium on March 16 that will screen the documentary "Angst," and feature a Q&A session with a panel of mental health experts. The documentary "Angst," which has been screened in over 7,000 schools in 68 countries, features interviews with young people discussing how they have coped with anxiety. According to the documentary's website, the film "removes the stigma and opens up the conversation around anxiety, helping people understand and manage their symptoms, and when to reach out for help. Most importantly, it shows people that they are not alone, and anxiety is 100% treatable." Following the screening, DHS organizers Sushrut Garikiparthi and Noor Dharni will host a Q&A panel featuring students and counselors from Fallon Middle School, Z-Cares staff, and an expert speaker. The event, which is geared toward middle school students, will also feature a food truck and snacks, and is open to students and families from Fallon and Cottonwood Middle School. "Our main goal and reason for this event is to create true awareness and change relating to mental health," Garikiparthi told Patch in an email. "[Noor and I] have had experience and personal connections with mental health and seen how it affects students later in high school and even near the end of middle school. The topics and ideas of anxiety, depression, and even suicide are very stigmatized and it is clear how this stigma has come in the way of spreading true information about how students should cope with these feelings. Mental health is truly not talked about enough in our community - despite rising anxiety and depression within DUSD students. The impact of a film like this - one that creates hard conversations about mental health and forces families to acknowledge and discuss it - is immeasurable." The event will take place on March 16 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Fallon Middle School Multi-Purpose Room. Snacks and food will be available starting at 6:15.