By Virginia Shah
On Sunday, February 9th, the Youth Community Fund welcomed Stephanie Marquesano, founder of The Harris Project, to speak at their meeting. Ms. Marquesano shared that her son, Harris Marquesano, passed away from an accidental overdose in 2013 after struggling with co-occurring disorders (COD), the combination of mental health and substance use disorders. Ms. Marquesano explained it is her mission to raise awareness for co-occurring disorders, advocate for systemic change, and ensure that individuals experiencing COD receive the support they need.
The Youth Summit: Raising Awareness Among Young People
Ms. Marquesano highlighted that for the past 11 years, The Harris Project has been the only nonprofit organization solely dedicated to co-occurring disorder awareness (CODA). She emphasized the need to educate and empower young people, explaining that while 20 million people live with COD, many have never even heard of it. She also shared that those who struggle with this disorder feel like they are alone, despite being surrounded with people, and emphasized the importance of checking in with someone you are worried about as even small actions can make a meaningful impact.
Ms. Marquesano also introduced the Youth Summit, which targets young people looking to get involved. She highlighted the various activities the Youth Summit participates in, such as the solar eclipse initiative. On April 9th, the day that would have been Harris Marquesano’s 30th birthday, 15,000 people watched the eclipse with custom glasses as a part of a CODA effort. Additionally, the Youth Summit organizes social media initiatives, awareness games, and more to engage and educate.
Envisioning the Next Summit
Following Marquesano’s talk, the Youth Community Fund broke into small groups, participated in an ice-breaker activity, and asked any questions to discuss potential ideas for this year’s Youth Summit. Many members expressed their surprise that The Harris Project was the only nonprofit for CODA, as well as the shocking statistic that 20 million people have COD yet remain unaware of it.
The meeting concluded with a group picture, and YCF members left feeling inspired and informed. Thank you, Stephanie Marquesano, for providing such an encouraging and informative presentation!
Executive Director’s Note:
The February 9th YCF event that Virginia has chronicled above is a pre-cursor for this spring’s Youth Community Fund mental health event for the public. With support from The Harris Project, YCF Members will co-design a public program for an audience of their peers and, especially, slightly younger students. This program will:
- Reinforce and complement the work The Harris Project is already doing in the school systems;
- Give YCF members the chance to share what they have learned, and from their experience; and
- Respond to the community’s call for additional mental health support programming as evidenced by the Community Assessment Survey conducted by The Fund and Pace University.