In the current environment where young people around the world are grappling with their mental health, thoughtful, informed and real representation of their struggles is essential in order to bring attention to a stigmatized topic and to spark important conversations that are the start of a journey to addressing these challenges. These three panelists will discuss their own experiences and discuss important principles they followed in sensitively and boldly taking on this topic

Ms. Matten and Elmore will share their experiences working on the critically acclaimed Rez Ball and East Los High, which highlighted young people’s coming of age challenges in very different contexts. They will discuss important principles they followed in sensitively and boldly taking on this topic, including ensuring young people’s voices and realities were central to the storyline, what they learned in the process, and how other show runners and storytellers can build from their experience. Dr. Maxwell will unpack how these and other media productions, including Disney’s Inside/Out series, the British series Adolescence impact the kinds of conversations he has with young people and their parents/guardians – including by giving them language to use to express their feelings and confront difficult emotions – so treatment and healing can move forward.