When the musical “Dear Evan Hansen” first hit Broadway, there was no knowing the large impact it would have on a community of young people challenged by mental health issues. The now Tony-award winning show “has fueled a heartrending conversation about mental health that has only grown more relevant.”
On May 10th, held in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness month, TIME Magazine, Dear Evan Hansen and philosophy hosted a round table that shed light on important conversations surrounding mental health.
Bringing his insights to the table, John MacPhee, the executive director of the Jed Foundation, an organization that promotes youth mental health and suicide prevention stated that, “Attitudes and behaviors are changing first, and the conversations are happening, but we have deep structural problems in our country. We don’t have enough mental health clinicians, we don’t have access to care, we have insurance barriers. There are a lot of people in distress who are struggling, and as more of them feel comfortable asking for help, the help isn’t always there.”
Read more stories and ideas from the event here.
As part of Thursday’s event, philosophy, donated $50,000 to five not-for-profit organizations that support mental wellness. And Dear Evan Hansen has ongoing partnerships with organizations that offer mental health resources for kids, young adults and families. They include: Child Mind Institute, The Jed Foundation, The Trevor Project, Born This Way Foundation, Live Through This and Crisis Text Line.
