Event focuses on importance of mental health, wellness in community
On Sept. 9, Delta College hosted the Hope for Tomorrow event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Dolores Huerta Plaza.
Hope for Tomorrow was an event created to bring attention to the importance of mental health and provide resources to the community.
“We see mental health as a crisis across our community; we saw the cracks in our system exposed during COVID and we saw a huge rise in anxiety, depression and other mental health concerns. I can not talk to a student, a teacher, a parent anywhere in our community without mental health coming up, and we have a lot more work to do,” said California 9th District Rep. Josh Harder during a speech he addressed to event participants.
Delta College hosted the event and was orgaized by youth members of the California 4-H Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Advisory Committee.
The event featured other speeches, a cooking demo, yoga, and more than 20 vendors, including the 30 by 30 Financial Literacy Campaign, Little Manilla Rising, Unbound Stockton, San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Center, Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) and the Animal Protection League.
Vendors from Delta College included Active Minds, the Society for Women Engineers (SWE), the Basic Needs Center, the Dreamers Success Center, the Pride Center, and Extended Opportunities Programs and Services (EOPS).
A few furry friends also attended the event. The Animal Protection League had animals available for free adoption.
GirlTREK, an organization that aims to promote the physical and mental health of Black women through the act of walking, also invited event goers to do a short walk with them.
The event brought much-needed attention to the importance of mental health of the Delta College community, Stockton community and San Joaquin County as a whole.
“What a beautiful attempt this is at promoting mental health and wellness, and the necessity of this service in particular coming out of a pandemic,” said Dean of Student Services Edward Aguilar during his speech.
A major goal of Hope for Tomorrow was to get closer to ending the stigma surrounding mental health, which often acts as a barrier for those who may have mental health concerns but may not feel comfortable enough to seek exterior help.
“For me, the more that we can normalize, the more that we can make these services easily accessible. I think the better chance we have of getting to the people who really need these resources that wouldn’t traditionally be comfortable with receiving them individually,” said Delta Vice President of Human Resources Bradley Salters.
Through gathering as a community, people had the opportunity to feel their individual mental health be more supported and celebrated.
“The more exposure there is, the more confidence people have to be able to share. You realize that other people may be going through the same things that one person’s going through,” said Cynthia Emerson Ramos, a medical assistant with Community Medical Centers.
Hope for Tomorrow was a step towards creating a Stockton community that looks past the stigmas of mental health and towards a community that looks to provide much-needed resources.
“As we gather here today, let us remember that mental health knows no boundaries and that it is through unity and understanding that we can break down the stigma surrounding it. Together we can foster a culture of compassion, empathy and support; and we thank you for coming together for this mental health awareness event. If we help one person today to overcome an obstacle or to have some better mental health support in their life, then this was worth it for every single one of us,” said Salters in his speech addressed to event participants.