The call for proposals is open for Active Minds' 2023 Mental Health Conference, the nation's leading mental health conference for young adults. The event takes place in-person on July 7-8, 2023, in Washington, DC. Professional and student presenters (ages 18 and older) are invited to submit proposals for concurrent sessions or workshops and tabletop displays relating to the conference theme of “Be the Mental Health Change.”  The submission deadline is Friday, February 3, at 8PM ET.

The Active Minds Mental Health Conference hosts 600 young adults, ages 18-25, nationwide to discuss future directions in changing the culture around mental health. This year, the curriculum review committee will prioritize presentations addressing the following mental health topics from a justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion lens:
  • 988, the suicide prevention lifeline
  • Building successful student-led organizations (membership, fundraising, leadership, etc.)
  • Data privacy and technology
  • Forming non-traditional partnerships at school, in the community, and beyond
  • Innovative programming and initiatives
  • Mental health equity
  • Neurodiversity and disability support
  • Pathways to mental health careers
  • Resourcing the mental health movement: fundraising how-to
  • Self-care, stress management, and community care
  • Storytelling, particularly on social media
  • Trauma and its impact
  • Young adult-led advocacy
About the Presentation Formats

Concurrent sessions or workshops are 60-minute interactive presentations that provide an opportunity to introduce a promising program, practice, or study; to teach a valuable advocacy skill; and/or to convey lived experiences or stories that help illustrate a problem and potential solutions. The presentations should be no longer than 45 minutes, as 15 minutes must be set aside at the end of the session for Q&A and/or peer-to-peer discussions among attendees.

Tabletop presentations are an opportunity to feature innovative programs and initiatives that relate to the conference theme, "Be the Mental Health Change." Each selected presenter will be provided a table, which the presenter can use to feature tri-fold project display boards, hand-outs and giveaways, signs and banners, table covers, videos, or other materials that help describe the program/initiative. Conference attendees will be invited to walk through the tabletop presentations and ask questions of the presenters during the Innovation Expo on Saturday, July 8, 2023, at 1PM - 2:30PM ET.

Expectations of Presenters

Presenters are responsible for all expenses, including registration, lodging, and transportation. Active Minds requires presenters to provide any slides three weeks in advance of the conference. If you have any questions regarding proposal submission, contact conference@activeminds.org.

The deadline for submitting proposals is Friday, February 3, at 8PM ET.

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* 1. Presenter's First and Last Name:

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* 2. Presenter's Pronouns:

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* 3. Presenter's Email Address:

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* 4. Presenter's Organization/Institution (if applicable):

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* 5. Presenter's Title (please type "Student" if applicable):

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* 6. Presenter's Short Bio (up to 100 words):

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* 7. Additional Presenters (for each, include full name, email address, and organization/institution if applicable)

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* 8. Which of the following priority topics will the presentation address (please check all that apply)?

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* 9. What is your preferred method of presenting?

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* 10. Presentation Title:

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* 11. Brief Description of the Presentation (up to 250 words; please include any data regarding the effectiveness of the work):

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* 12. Complete the following sentence: "By the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to....." (please include three; see examples here):

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* 13. Please share how you will incorporate attendee participation into your presentation:

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* 14. Please provide specific examples of how your presentation will include a justice, equity, diversity, inclusion lens (read more about this approach here):

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