Active Minds, Inc. Announces its First High School Chapter
at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire
Washington, DC -
March 4, 2008
As the 2008 spring semester gets into full swing,
Active Minds is thrilled to announce that it
has registered its first high school-based
chapter.
Active Minds at Phillips Exeter Academy in
Exeter, New
Hampshire joins over 100 college campus-based
chapters as the first high school chapter in
the Active Minds, Inc. network. Located in
Exeter, New Hampshire, Exeter Academy is a
co-educational residential school serving
students in grades 9 through 12, and
post-graduate level. Founded in 1781 by John
Phillips, Exeter has a tradition of academic
excellence, a distinguished faculty, and a
long history of educating young people to
find their place in the world. Exeter joins
Dartmouth College as just the second school
with an Active Minds chapter in the state of
New Hampshire. "Mental health issues touch
young adults of all ages" said Active Minds
founder and Executive Director Alison Malmon.
"We are thrilled to expand our program to
reach students in high school, and address
the issues that are affecting them."
Active Minds Campus Chapters
In 34 states plus the District of Columbia and
Canada, Active Minds serves as the largest
resource for young adults seeking to
educate their peers about issues of mental
health and mental illness. In fewer than five
years, the campus program has engaged over a
thousand young adult mental health advocates
and reached hundreds of thousands of students
with educational and awareness-raising
programming. Members of mental health task
forces, outspoken advocates, and
change-agents on campus, Active Minds' student
leaders are a tremendous force now on 115 college
campuses, and one high school campus, nationwide.
Plans are in place to expand the program to 300
campuses by 2010.
Map of Campus Chapters
About Active Minds, Inc.
Active Minds is the only national
organization dedicated to utilizing the
student voice to raise awareness about mental
health on college campuses. In fewer than
five years, Active Minds has
become the "young adult voice" in mental
health advocacy and the organizational
catalyst for awareness programs on college
and university campuses.
The organization was founded in 2001
by Alison
Malmon, then a junior at the University of
Pennsylvania, following the suicide of her only
sibling, twenty-two year old brother Brian
Malmon a
year earlier. Troubled that her brilliant and
popular brother had struggled with depression in
silence, even though he maintained a full
schedule
of extra curricular activities and a superior
grade
point at Columbia University, Alison was
convinced
that stigma and lack of information kept
Brian from
seeking help. Determined to combat the stigma and
address the lack of awareness about mental
illnesses
that most often strike young people at the
pinnacle
of their educational careers, Alison launched a
program to promote mental health awareness on her
campus. Just two years later, Alison created the
501(c)3 organization which now works to promote
student advocacy and dialogue on college and
high school campuses
nationwide.
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Active Minds, Inc.
Alison Malmon
Executive Director
phone:
202-719-1177
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