New York becomes the First State to Give MANDATORY Mental Health Classes in All New York Schools

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Beginning this Fall, all schools in New York State will have mandatory mental health classes. This makes New York State the first state to make mental health a part of the school curriculum.The law was passed in 2016 and officially became active on July 1st, 2018. What this means is that all elementary, middle, and high school students will be taught about identifying the signs during their regular gym and health classes.These lessons for these mental health classes are set to be structured around nine main points, that was provided in the guidelines by the New York State Mental Health Education Advisory Council, including providing resources, and breaking the stigma about mental health issues.According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America stated that 18.1% of adults aged 18 and over suffer from anxiety disorders every year. They also stated that teens between the age of 13 and 18 have experienced mental health issues, most of them being severe.In an article posted on Daily Mail, State education commissioner, Mary Ellen Elia spoke about the importance of breaking the stigma surrounding mental health.’When young people learn about mental health and that it is an important aspect of overall health and well-being, the likelihood increases they will be able to effectively recognize signs and symptoms in themselves and others and will know where to turn for help – and it will decrease the stigma that attaches to help-seeking,’ she said.Share your thoughts about this law in the comments below.

Unapologetically Dope: Urina Harrell

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Urina Harrell, a successful business owner, is making a name for herself in the entrepreneurial world. At the age of 19, in 2013, Harrell started her own market branding company called Vox Pop Branding based in California. Vox Pop means “Voice of the People,” and it is a company that market branding for small and non-profit businesses.

Urina Harrell Company page Logo

Urina Harrell Company page Logo

Pic Cred via Facebook: Vox Pop Branding

“I started Vox Pop because I found a love for marketing,” she said, “I didn’t see a lot of marketing firms doing what I wanted to do in serving small businesses”.Harrell started Vox Pop Branding as a DBA (doing business as) because of her athletic status while at Duke University. This was because, according to the NCAA, she was considered to be a professional athlete. With the start of the DBA, it became easy for her to earn income while still in school.At the start of her business venture, Harrell recalled that her focus was on the clients more than the business. “My first instincts were to get as many clients as possible.” She quickly learned, as all new business owners do, that it is best to focus on small increments of the business first, “I decided to focus on the customer’s happiness and move on from there.”Urina Harrell started managing many of her clients’ social media account for free. She quickly learned that she should start charging for her services because she was really good at what she does. “I started charging $100 a month for social media management”, she said.With the success of being a social media manager for various companies, it helped grow her brand into what it is today. The now 24-year-old has market branding for clients in New Jersey, Atlanta, Las Vegas, California, Washington D.C.and the United Kingdom. She also offers free consultations.Advice from Harrell is “It takes a lot of people of five years to actually live off of their business.”Follow Harrell on social media Twitter: @brandmevoxpop, Facebook: VoxPopBranding, Instagram: @vox.pop.branding, Youtube: VoxPopBranding and LinkedIn: Vox Pop Branding.