“Talking. Listening. Having conversations like this. Never giving up.”
Youth mental health advocate Trayzell White said it best. What gives him hope for the future is what inspired the September 22nd screening for the PBS documentary Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness. The event, hosted at the Sofia theater in Sacramento, featured inspiring words from Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission Chair Mara Madrigal Weiss, Children’s Partnership President Mayra E. Alvarez, and Steinberg Institute founder Mayor Darrell Steinberg.
Following the viewing of a segment from the documentary, Trayzell joined moderator (and Steinberg Institute board member) Juan Acosta, along with film director Christopher Ewers, film participant Morgan Brennan, California’s Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health Stephanie Welch, Sacramento County School Superintendant Dave Gordon and youth mental health advocate Tanisha Lakhanpal for an engaging panel discussion.
The message was clear: to best support our youth; we must listen to and acknowledge their experiences and bring them into conversations surrounding solutions to the growing mental health crisis.
The event was sponsored by California’s Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, partnering with the Steinberg Institute, PBS KVIE, the Children’s Partnership and the Sacramento County Office of Education.
Event photography by Carmen Salazar.