Advanced Standing student Jada Tarvin Abu-Bekr, MSW ’23, recently spoke on NBC News NOW about the importance of young adults having conversations with each other about mental health. Her appearance, which came about through her MSW field placement, was part of the network’s coverage of the national Seize the Awkward communications campaign launched by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and The Jed Foundation (JED) in collaboration with the Ad Council to inspire young adults to start conversations around mental health with friends.
In the segment, Jada urged young people to be honest and transparent in talking to peers who may be struggling with their mental health, saying “It’s awkward, It’s not always easy…and I think that especially when it comes to mental health, you don’t always know, but it never hurts to put yourself in a place where you show you love and care for someone.”
Jada explained that it was through her field placement at JED that she was asked to speak about the importance of youth mental health in Black and Latinx communities. “My internship provided me with the opportunity to be a youth voice for this campaign and share my personal story about mental health as a student and woman of color,” she said.
Other responsibilities in Jada’s Field placement include supporting JEDʼs higher education team with program implementation; the growth of the learning community, and college student engagement; exploring the college mental health experience; and learning about higher education policy and systemic change. “It is noteworthy,” she said, “that JED offers macro internships for MSW students which focus on mental health and suicide prevention advocacy, including engaging with social media and external marketing campaigns such as Seize the Awkward.”
