The New Hampshire Children’s System of Care (CSoC) is accepting youth submissions for the seventh annual Magnify Voices Expressive Art Contest. Now through April 20, New Hampshire students in fifth through 12th grade are encouraged to submit creative work reflecting their experiences with and connections to mental health. Magnify Voices is a CSoC initiative to raise awareness, erase stigma and effect positive change for youth mental health in New Hampshire.

“Art is such a powerful means of expressing and sharing emotions. Since the Magnify Voices Expressive Art Contest began in 2019, it has provided a forum for youth to share their stories and raise awareness of youth mental health,” said Deb Jurkoic, Magnify Voices Committee Member and NAMI New Hampshire (National Alliance on Mental Illness) NH Family Network Coordinator. “Even after the contest is over, the works created by these students will continue to have an impact as they are shared at various sites around the state with opportunities for the artists to continue to engage and share their voices within the community.”

When I submitted my essay about growing up with mental illness to the Magnify Voices Art Contest, I didn’t expect more than a chance to share my story. The contest turned out to be way more than that.

Participating in this contest is something I could have never imagined as a little kid. I could never believe that there would be a time when I wasn’t surrounded by the darkness and struggle that mental illness brought. For as long as I can remember, mental illness had a strong grasp on my life, controlling my ability to enjoy growing up and to see the beauty that life brings. Through years of psychotherapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment and medication, I have been able to work myself up to a point where life isn’t so heavy, and I can see how I DO have control over my mental illness.

This project centers the lived experiences of behavioral healthcare providers and adults who have attempted to access behavioral and/or mental health resources for themselves or their children, youth, and families from the African American/Black/Afro Caribbean, Latine/o/a/x, refugee and immigrant, disability, and LGBTQ+ communities to better understand how the children’s behavioral health system in New Hampshire might become more culturally responsive.

Social media is a central force in young people’s lives, yet its role is complex and deeply individualized. The fragmented, algorithm-driven nature of platforms and the diversity of user experiences defy one-size-fits-all explanations, making it difficult to label social media as purely "good" or "bad" for youth mental health.

Untangling the impact of social media is like studying a storm that touches everyone but feels completely different depending on where you stand. Despite efforts to create a simple narrative about social media’s impact on youth mental health, the challenge lies in unraveling a system where everyone is immersed, but no two experiences are ever the same.

Maternal health is a vital and evolving area of focus, as communities across the country work to improve the care and support available to women and birthing people. This conference will be a unique opportunity to bring everyone together to exchange ideas, share research, and learn from diverse experiences in maternal health. The goal for the day is to cover the full spectrum of maternal health needs, from antepartum and postpartum care to mental health, breastfeeding, and doula support. Discussions will ensure that everyone involved in the journey to parenthood has access to compassionate, respectful, and equitable care.

New Hampshire Outright (formerly Seacoast Outright) has launched a young adult peer support group that started on Tuesday, January 7. The group is for LGBTQ+ young adults ages 18-24 and meets on the first Tuesday of every month from 5:00 to 6:30 pm at Community Campus.