Young, Gifted & Well for Families

Young, Gifted & Well webinars cover critical topics that impact the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color. In this series, experts provide evidence-based information and best practices to create conditions for young people of color to thrive.

The College Years: How Families can Support Student of Color Mental Health

Hosted by: Dr. Stephanie Pinder-Amaker with Dr. Farha Abbasi, Dr. Meeta Kumar, Dr. Andres Pumariega

When your young person of color is at college, it is sometimes hard for family members to understand what their student is going through, and how best to help and support them–especially if they are struggling with mental health issues. This can be really challenging for parents and other loved ones who want to help and want to be an ally to their kids but don’t know where to start. Research tells us that when youth encounter health issues, they primarily turn to their parents. This means that parents and other family members have a critical role to play in helping their children to thrive. But the college years reveal a new relationship–your young person is now a young adult and is often living, socializing, studying, and trying to navigate an environment you aren’t a part of. After watching this webinar, you will be able to:

Identify the stressors and challenges your students of color are facing at college and how these impact their mental health
Describe what mental health is, how it affects your student of color socially and academically
Create plans to help your student navigate the mental health system and access resources while at college
Develop strategies for becoming an ally to your young person, reframing your relationship to maintain support and communication at this new time in their life

Preparing to Launch: Supporting the Mental Health of Students of Color in the Transition from High School to College

Hosted by: Dr. Stephanie Pinder-Amaker with Dr. Jeanne Manese, Dr. David P. Rivera, Dr. Mary Roessel

The transition from high school to college, like any major life transition, brings a lot of stressors with it for every student. Students of color experience a number of additional barriers and stressors that can impact their mental health and emotional well-being, and there is a critical role that families can play in preparing their students by becoming an ally to their young people as they head into the world of higher education. After watching this webinar, you will be able to:

Prepare your student for academic and personal success
Navigate a college campus and its related resources more effectively
Describe hour racism on college campuses affects mental health
Develop strategies for supporting your student’s cultural identity
Demonstrate comfort around talking about mental health
Support your student to prevent the escalation of stress and mental health issue
Form an alliance to help your students to help them thrive during the transition to college

Young Men of Color at College

Hosted by: Stephanie Pinder-Amaker with Dr. Micheal Mason

Young men of color face a complex set of stressors and barriers, and tremendous pressure to achieve in environments that were not necessarily designed for them. Parents and families have a critical role to play in understanding race and mental health for young men and preparing and supporting the emotional well-being of these young men to help them navigate, survive and thrive. After watching this webinar, you will be able to:

List the specific challenges young men of color encounter in the college environment, and how the college experience impacts their social, emotional, academic, and mental health.
Assess and connect with both peer and professional resources on campus.
Develop new approaches for talking with your young man of color about race, identity, intersectionality, and mental health.
Adopt and integrate preventative approaches in your household to help your student to thrive.

Our Mission: Promoting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color