Friday & Saturday
July 7 & 8, 2023
Social Media
Let everyone know you’re at the 2023 Active Minds Mental Health Conference! Use #ActiveMindsCon23 so we can all stay connected.
Welcome from Alison
Welcome to the 2023 Active Minds Mental Health Conference! We are headed toward our 20th anniversary, yet this year feels particularly new as we address the current needs of our nation’s youth and young adults. The mental health conversation in 2023 is not what it was in 2019—the call to mobilize around youth and young adult mental health is loud and clear. And we’re so glad you are here with us to answer it.
You are a changemaker.
You are the generation advocating for mental health culture on campus, in school, in the workplace, and across communities nationwide. This weekend you are joined by hundreds of other changemakers like yourself: campus and school professionals, government, foundation, and corporate representatives, as well as young adult advocates and mental health leaders from across the country who similarly share your passion for mental health policy and promotion.
This weekend’s theme asks us to be the mental health change we want to see in the world. Every day we have a chance to show up for ourselves and the people around us. To respond confidently to someone who shares their struggles. To advocate for better policies that lead to greater access to mental health resources. To encourage a friend to get the help they need and deserve. To tell someone that the world needs them here.
I hope that through your time here at the 2023 Conference, you are inspired by the ripple effect your actions can have on your local communities. I look forward to meeting many of you over the next few days. And, I continue to be inspired by your work, your energy, and your leadership in mobilizing the culture surrounding mental health.
Enjoy the conference!
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Keynote Speakers
Keynote Speaker
Em Beihold
Platinum Recording Artist, Mental Health Advocate
Via music, Em Beihold converses and connects much like your closest friend would. She isn’t afraid to be blunt, disclose her insecurities, or laugh unexpectedly, yet she’s got nothing but love. It’s why she’s quietly emerged as an identifiable and inimitable platinum-certified pop songstress with north of 1 billion streams and widespread critical acclaim. She’s the girl on the red carpet with the $10 coat (who will proudly tell anyone who asks!) and who sends her hairstylist a picture of Jessica Rabbit as inspo for a late-night TV appearance (this particular instance went nuts on TikTok!).
The Los Angeles native climbed into the pop culture conversation with the 2022 platinum smash “Numb Little Bug.” It has generated over 500 million global streams in addition to cracking the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and lifting Em to #1 on the Billboard Emerging Artists Chart. She only accelerated her rise with the Egg In TheBackseat EP, making her late-night television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She incited the applause of The New York Times, Stereogum, Teen Vogue, V Magazine, and Variety who hailed, “Beihold is very much part of the new guard.” She lent her voice to a duet version of Stephen Sanchez’s “Until I Found You,” which exploded to the tune of over 360 million Spotify streams. Moreover, they lit up The Late Late Show with James Corden together during a smoldering performance. Yet, she opens up even more on a series of 2023 singles for Moon Projects/Republic Records and opened for Lewis Capaldi on his US spring 2023 tour.
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Keynote Speaker
Dr. Tia Dole
Chief 988 Lifeline Officer, Vibrant Emotional Health
Dr. Dole is a licensed clinical psychologist and a long-time advocate for the rights of those with intersectional identity. Prior to stepping into the role of Chief 988 Officer, Dr. Dole was the Executive Director of The Steve Fund, the nation’s only organization focused on the mental health and emotional well-being for young people of color.
Additionally, Dr. Dole was the Chief Clinical Operations Officer at The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth.
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Keynote Speaker
Dometi Pongo
Journalist, MTV
Dometi Pongo {dō-meh-TEE} is the host of the hit MTV docuseries “True Life Crime” and multiple MTV News franchises including its flagship program, “Need to Know.” Pongo’s work lives at the intersection of pop culture and social justice, exploring topics spanning hip-hop, pop culture, and American history across various programs.
The award-winning journalist also works as a speaker and multimedia consultant through his firm, Pongo Strategy Group, which helps organizations tell compelling stories through multimedia.
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