Summary
The Forum at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Innovating on Campus: Supporting Mental Health of Students of Color During COVID-19 and Beyond
Presented in partnership with The Steve Fund and jointly with GBH News
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
As a result of COVID-19, American higher education faces unparalleled challenges with serious implications for leaders’ decisions in every area, including the mental health and emotional well-being of their students. The pandemic has also laid bare deeply-ingrained social inequities, inflicting disproportionate threats to the health, economic status, and educational progress of communities of color. The intersecting marginalized identities carried by many students of color — such as socioeconomic, immigration and ability status; sexual orientation; gender identity; and cultural background — can amplify these disparities and their related traumas. George Floyd’s death, and ensuing nationwide protests over systemic bias and racism, have rapidly escalated the health stressors on students of color.
All of this places significant and consequential obstacles on their pathway from adolescence to adulthood — in the transition to higher education, in the college experience, and in the transition to the workforce. What should higher education leaders, staff, and faculty do to help young people of color successfully navigate today’s campus climate, social distancing protocols, and remote learning experiences? What levers do they have to support a smooth transition from school to the workplace? Drawing from the report of the Steve Fund’s Crisis Response Task Force, in this Forum event, college and university leaders discussed well-informed actions that can be taken to meet the challenges of the day in a manner that promotes mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color.
Part of: Policy Controversies.
Presented in partnership with The Steve Fund and jointly with GBH News
Background Articles
- Adapting and Innovating to Promote Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being of Young People of Color: COVID-19 and Beyond
Adapting and Innovating to Promote Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being of Young People of Color: COVID-19 and Beyond
