During Week #44 on NYSPHSAA's Standard Calendar of Weeks,  the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) celebrates its Annual Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW), a campaign to raise awareness of mental health in the realm of interscholastic athletics. The goal of the initiative is to encourage schools to provide training to athletic directors, coaches, and student-athletes to help them learn how to identify signs and symptoms of mental illness, break the stigma associated with it, and provide resources to those who need them.

According to the Mental Health Association of New York State (MHANYS), "Mental health awareness helps everyone to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness and ease people into the process of seeking aid for themselves or others. Confiding in a peer, trusted adult, or professional is extremely beneficial because 60-90% of those who receive treatment experience positive outcomes."

How to Participate:

Follow NYSPHSAA on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and share NYSPHSAA's posts throughout the day.

1. Post your own school's content by showcasing current student-athletes/coaches/administrator's personal healthy habits. Always use the hashtags #NYSPHSAA and #YouAreENough.
2. Encourage coaches or student-athletes to post videos on social media stating a statistic or why it is important for students/coaches to learn about mental health.
3. Feel free to use the social media posts provided in toolkit and always use the hashtags #NYSPHSAA and #YouAreEnough.
4. Email coaches sample email provided within toolkit.
5. Suggest coaches and student-athletes to take the NFHS Student Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Course (Free) - https://nfhslearn.com/courses/student-mental-health-and-suicide-prevention

 

Mental Health Awareness Week Toolkit