Clark Atlanta University to Hold Three-Day Mental Health Summit
04/21/2023
Atlanta, GA (April 17, 2023) – Clark Atlanta University will hold a three-day Mental Health Summit on April 21 – 23. The summit, with the theme “You Good?” Emotionally, Mentally, Physically and Spiritually, will be held in the Bishop Cornelius L. Henderson Student Center, Multi-Purpose Room (BCLH SC, MPR) and classrooms of Carl and Mary Ware Academic Center on the CAU campus.
According to 2021 data from the National Institute of Mental Health, one in five American adults suffers from a mental illness and 95 percent of college mental health counselors report that mental health is a growing concern on today’s college campus.
“We concur with this alarming statistical data, as there has been a 10 percent increase in student utilization of services when comparing 2020 to 2023,” said Ernita B. Hemmitt, Ed.D., Associate Dean of Students, Wellness Outreach Student Services and Campus Life.
“As a result of this growing trend of mental illness within the collegiate community, we felt it was imperative to address and raise awareness our scholars’ understanding of the growing mental health concerns.”
The event is in collaboration with the CAU Student Government Association to help ensure that the summit engages students with thought-provoking topics geared toward their interest.
With the support of the following sponsors Huntsman Mental Health Institute, Jed Foundation, Ad Council, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and The House of Joy will host the “Let’s Talk College Edition,” Pre-Conference session will be facilitated by an expert panel, Dr. Khadijah Booth-Watkins, the Jed Foundation; Byron Edwards, Wellness for Creatives; Camille Hyde, Actress of CW’s American Homecoming; Shanti Das, Silent the Shame; Shalondan Hollingshed, National Urban League and Wisdom O. Cole, NAACP .
Additional sponsors from the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities and the National Alliance of Mental Illness are supporting the remainder of the Mental Health Summit to feature:
The keynote will be delivered by former Miss CAU Chelsi N. Glascoe, who will speak on “Hope and Inspiration.”
Break-out sessions on emotional and physical trauma will be held for men, women and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
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Seminars will focus on how depression, social media use, nutrition, marijuana use, bullying and transitioning to adulthood affect mental health.
Other activities will include a community service activity where participants will pack bag lunches for the hungry, and a sip, paint and poetry session.
About Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University was formed with the consolidation of Atlanta University and Clark College, both of which hold unique places in the annals of African American history. Atlanta University, established in 1865 by the American Missionary Association, was the nation’s first institution to award graduate degrees to African Americans. Clark College, established four years later in 1869, was the nation’s first four-year liberal arts college to serve a primarily African American student population. Today, with nearly 4,000 students, CAU is the largest of the four institutions (CAU, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Morehouse School of Medicine) that comprise the Atlanta University Center Consortium. It is also the largest of the 37-member UNCF institutions. Notable alumni include: James Weldon Johnson, American civil rights activist, poet, and songwriter (Lift Every Voice and Sing - “The Black National Anthem”; Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., American civil rights activist; Congressman Hank
Johnson, Georgia District 4; Kenya Barris, American award-winning television and movie producer; Kenny Leon, Tony Award-winning Broadway Director; Jacque Reid, Emmy Award-winning Television Personality and Journalist; Brandon Thompson, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for NASCAR; Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Recording Academy. To learn more about Clark Atlanta University, visit www.cau.edu.
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