The Shift, in partnership with NAMI Westside LA for Los Angeles and Rincon Family Services for Chicago, will kick off the first of two of its Wellness Rally event series. Each wellness rally will run 45 – 60 minutes and be customized to address the local communities, ensuring that The Shift Wellness Rallies to follow on college campuses will be different from those held in high schools in addition to creating specialized footprints for cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit or Portland.
“NAMI Westside LA is thrilled to be bringing The Shift to LA for the launch of their first Wellness Rally. I’m especially excited about their focus on promoting youth voices, because it is so closely aligned with our mission to provide mental health support and education to the many students and their families in our community,” said Erin Ryan, Executive Director, NAMI Westside LA.
“We are excited and humbled to be a part of the upcoming The Shift Wellness Rally, a very important dialogue about mental health and its impact on our communities. Now more than ever, in light of an unparalleled pandemic, times of racial disparity and social unjust that we are facing – the importance of lifting up youth voices, breaking down stigmas surrounding our well-being, and ensuring that our communities receive the necessary resources is key to any process of recovery,” said Eddy Borrayo, president and CEO of Rincon Family Services. “Our partnering with The Shift expands the opportunity to have a robust and honest conversation about mental health issues among our communities and our youth, and what concrete nationwide actions can be taken moving forward are key to equalizing mental health for everyone.”