Long Island Jewish Medical Center recognizes students for spreading awareness of mental health resources

About 40 students from schools across Long Island, alongside loved ones and mentors, gathered at the Teaching Center at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens on Saturday for the presentation of art contest awards and the graduation of participants in a mental health advocacy program.

The program acknowledged student efforts to start conversations about mental health and spread awareness of mental health resources available to students through two separate programs. Elementary, middle and high school students received awards for art they submitted to the "Erase the Stigma" art contest held in May. High schoolers presented projects completed as part of Northwell Health's Cohen Children's Hospital Cohen Strong Mental Health Advocacy Program. 

“We all have mental health; we want to make sure that we are promoting that and normalizing that, right?” said Bianca Del Gatto, a Northwell licensed mental health counselor. “The same way we take care of our bodies.”

For this year's edition of the annual art contest, artists submitted works on the theme of hope. Each winning original work will be displayed at a behavioral health center in Commack.

“We use the artwork to inspire others because they’re such beautiful expressions of what the kids have to say about these topics,” said Dr. Vera Feuer, associate vice president for Northwell's School Mental Health.

The yearlong Cohen Strong Mental Health Advocacy Program, offers students in grades 10 to 12 and their school advisers training in teen mental health first aid, as well as advocacy, research and leadership skills. 

Great Neck North High School junior Talia Elyaho, 15, and her group spoke of their experience visiting psychology classes at their own school to discuss body image and eating disorders.

“We spoke to them about different, better ways to communicate with their peers, or certain jokes that they think might be funny but are actually just not OK,” said Elyaho.

Hauppauge High School sophomore Jacob Wolmetz, 16, and his group chose to conduct “Wellness Workshops” for fifth graders at the school district’s three elementary schools.

“They’re so much fun to deal with, to work with, and we felt like they don’t really hear a lot about mental wellness,” Wolmetz said. “We wanted to really reach out to elementary school-aged kids, and just make sure they have resources.”

Students in the program have also visited Washington, D.C. and Albany to meet with lawmakers about mental health legislation.

“They have no problem standing up in a legislator's office saying, ‘I have anxiety problems, and this is what helped me and this is why this is important,’” said Feuer, who has been a child psychiatrist for 15 years. “That openness is really mind-blowing in a way, and you really don’t see that from adults.”

Oceanside High School senior Hannah Ott, 18, went to Washington last year and Albany this year.

“It really opened my eyes to how much of an impact mental health really does have on adolescents,” Ott said. “I see it for myself, I’m not always seeing it for other people, but being involved in this program has made me see it from a whole other perspective.”

By Arielle Dollinger

arielle.dollinger@newsday.com@aridollinger

Arielle Dollinger joined Newsday as a staff reporter in 2022. Previously, she covered local and national news as a freelancer for The New York Times, Newsday and other outlets.