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. From breaking news to special features and documentaries, the NewsdayTV team is covering the issues that matter to.