A Louisville Boys and Girls Club in partnership with Findlay House Global will host Art Works, a free mental health summit, on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The event will take place at the Newburg Boys and Girls Club located off Newburg Road.
Rick Martin is the program director at the Newburg Boys and Girls Club. He said they saw a need for the event as children began to return to the space following 2020’s racial justice protests, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We found that our kids were really isolated--isolated from us, isolated from other adults, isolated from other children,” Martin said. “And then once they were able to get out and come to the club, we found out that there were a whole lot of other issues going on.”
Martin said he hopes the program will take away some of the stigma around mental illness, and make clear that it’s okay to not be okay.
The club's director, Marvia Presley, said Art Works aims to address these mental health concerns through arts and body movement.
“They can expect to be a part of painting, coloring, developing an artworks bridge and all these things will be directed by a mental health professional,” Presley said.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman and state Representative Attica Scott will speak about the importance of mental health.
“Children need to understand that they aren’t the only ones who go through these things,” Presley said.
Parents will be able to attend sessions that will teach them about how to cope with their own mental health and support their children.
Martin said it’s important for parents to know how to take care of themselves in order to better support their children.
“If we don’t take care of ourselves first, there’s no way we can take care of others,” Martin said.
Director Marvia Presley said they want to help children by helping parents.
“When we can take care of ourselves, we can be better parents. We can be better employees, wives, sisters, husbands, whatever,” Presley said.
