Picture this: 300 hungry community members, 16 musicians, and 13 goats flock to a field. Sounds like the start of a joke, but on Friday, May 29, it was Pelham Overnight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hosted by Pelham Together\u2019s Youth Council and in collaboration with the high school and middle school, \u201cPelham Overnight: Mental Health Never Sleeps\u201d is an awareness event designed to remind students that no one should ever have to struggle alone. The event drew record attendance and introduced several new features, including an invitation to the entire community\u2014adults, children, first responders, civic organizations, and local businesses. Overnight adopted the middle school\u2019s beloved tradition of bringing goats to help de-stress and re-ground students during finals season, coordinated by Ms. Jenn Kitay. Also, for the first time, the event showcased 8th graders and high schoolers whose pertinent community projects helped to destigmatize mental health and remind the community of the resources and support available. Live music was curated by community members Anna Jenner and Stephen Byfield, and food was provided by Pelham Pizza and Pelicones. <\/p>\n
The evening kicked off with a youth-led welcome from our current Youth Council Co-Presidents, thanking attendees and reminding the community that Pelham Overnight is about showing up\u2014for yourself and one another. Throughout the evening, community members visited a variety of stations that offered opportunities to create, reflect, and connect. Youth leaders led everyone in a lap around the field every hour, keeping the awareness centered on the concept that mental health never sleeps. Attendees made friendship bracelets, painted calming rocks, interacted with Counseling Connect\u2019s Wellness Wheel, and contributed messages of hope and positivity to the \u201cLet In Light\u201d banner. Others participated in \u201cLet It Lie,\u201d an interactive activity inviting participants to release worries and burdens on dissolvable paper. Live music from local musicians provided an uplifting backdrop as school faculty, families, and neighbors gathered around lawn games, enjoyed food and treats, and spent time with thirteen happy goats, whose playful presence brought joy and plenty of smiles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The event also featured a variety of youth-led mental health resources and advocacy projects. Community members learned about topics including ADHD in teens, body image and eating disorders, social media and mental health, and mental health first aid kits through projects created by local students. Attendees were invited to sign a mental health advocacy pledge, receive affirmation stickers and ribbon pins, and take home Pelham Together Counseling resource cards and custom zines featuring school-based and national supports, including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After 9 PM, Pelham Overnight returned to its roots as a high school-only event. Students stayed behind to watch movies, play hacky sack, and enjoy the kind of unstructured connection that has made Pelham Overnight a meaningful tradition for the past three years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pelham Together thanks every student, educator, family, and volunteer who made this powerful night possible. <\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s note: This press release was provided by Pelham Together. The Pelham Examiner publishes press releases in the form received as a service to the community.<\/p>\n
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