Twin Cities Mental Health Action Festival Launches New Era of Community-Centered Brain Health

The Twin Cities Mental Health Action Festival lit up the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB) with joy, connection, and purpose. On May 15, over 100 community members, educators, youth, researchers, and health professionals came together at MIDB to celebrate mental wellness, brain science, and collective action.

Hosted by the Strong Mind Strong Body Foundation and the Youth Community Journalism Institute in partnership with the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, Carmen Robles and Associates, and Conversaciones de Salud, the festival served as the official launch of Brain Health Solutions for All.

Brain Health Solutions for All is a groundbreaking, collaborative, multilingual, and intergenerational project focused on making neuroscience and mental health resources accessible and actionable for communities across Minnesota.

A Call to Action for Brain Health Equity

The evening began with welcome remarks from Eric Ortiz, executive director of Strong Mind Strong Body Foundation and founder of the Youth Community Journalism Institute:

“This is more than just a gathering. It’s a celebration of mental wellness, brain science, and community power. It’s also a call to action. Because now more than ever, we need new solutions, rooted in science, shaped by lived experience, and led by the people.”

Ortiz emphasized the importance of building public service media that reflects and uplifts communities through youth-led storytelling, collaboration, and innovation. The Brain Health Solutions for All initiative will engage young journalists throughout the year in producing podcasts, videos, and live events that bridge research and real life, making mental health knowledge a shared community resource.

Festival Highlights: Brain Games, Art, Music, and Healing

The night offered an interactive mix of education and celebration:

🎤 Youth hosts welcomed guests and distributed swag bags filled with goodies like squishy brains, pens, and shirts.
🧠 Brain games and video games from 7 Generation Games entertained and educated participants on cognitive health.
🎶 Live music, cultural dance performances, and delicious Mexican and Salvadoran food catered by community members created a festive atmosphere.
🎯 Expert answered questions from community members in person to begin the process of building trust and empowering people with information.
💬 Expert talks and interviews were livestreamed on Facebook, giving virtual attendees access to key insights from MIDB professionals.
🧾 Resource tables offered practical tools for mental health care, brain development, and family support. Supporting organizations that included Children’s Minnesota, Indian Health Board, LifeSource, Hue-Man Partnership, and Nuestra Lucha MN.
🗣️ Bilingual access with a Spanish interpreter ensured the event was inclusive and accessible for Spanish-speaking community members.
📰 A special community newspaper table, co-created by youth and residents, documented real-time storytelling from the event.
🏫 Behind-the-scenes MIDB tours gave guests a look at cutting-edge brain research in action.

Meet the Brain Health Experts

The event introduced brain health experts to the community to show how neuroscience and mental health practices can work together to support youth and build community resilience.

Experts included:

Dr. Damien Fair – Co-director of the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain and professor in neuroscience and child development, specializing in large-scale brain network development and neurodiversity.
Dr. Lauren Haisley – Pediatric neuropsychologist and medical director of the MIDB Clinic, focused on early identification of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Dr. Afshan Anjum – Pediatric psychiatrist with expertise in autism, OCD, social anxiety, and childhood-onset psychiatric illnesses.
Dr. Brenden Tervo-Clemmens – Assistant professor researching adolescent brain development, substance use, and mental health.
Dr. Emily Kuhn – Postdoctoral researcher in the MnTiC Lab, focusing on pediatric OCD, Tourette disorder, and anxiety disorders.
Dr. Jessica Simacek – Director of the TeleOutreach Center, specializing in autism and expanding access to care through telehealth.
Dr. Kyle Sterrett – Pediatric clinical psychologist with expertise in autism spectrum disorder assessment and intervention.
Dr. Dziwe Ntaba – Emergency medicine physician at M Health Fairview and co-director of the CEEd Hub at MIDB, with a focus on addiction treatment and expanding equitable access to medications.

They discussed their challenges and how to overcome them.

“A lot of my work involves trying to understand and overcome barriers to accessing care for children and their families,” said Dr. Simacek. “And I think one big challenge that we’re all kind of grappling with is there’s just a big shortage of providers, and that doesn’t seem to be getting better anytime soon. And so, trying to understand how to help families access care now and also knowing what we need short-term and long-term, goals to be working toward. So we don’t have the answer to that, but that is a big challenge that we face in our daily work.”

“In the research brain science space, we really want the research that we do to reflect real people, real families, real teenagers, and that can be hard to do,” said Dr. Tervo-Clemmens. “Because research can be, it’s often limited to universities, and we haven’t historically done the best of inviting people in. So events like this and working with you all is exactly what I think we need to be doing to make sure the science reflects real people and their interests.”

“I think challenges from a clinic standpoint that we face at MIDB are very similar to what Jessica said is just we have access problems,” said Dr. Haisley. “We want to serve more members of our community. We want to make sure that we are accessible to people from throughout Minnesota and neighboring states, and that we have a shortage of providers able to do that. And also that we kind of struggle with some of the things that go on more in our social political climate around like funding for coverage of behavioral health services and ensuring that people are able to access it, their insurance, when they need to.”

“I would say from the hospital emergency room side of things, we see a lot of the struggle and pain and problems that community members are facing when it comes to mental health,” said Dr. Ntaba. “We see more and more folks struggling with that nowadays and self-medicating with substances. And the substances that are out there now, like the fentanyl, are very unforgiving. So people get caught up in addiction before they know it. One of the main challenges that we have as clinicians or public health researchers is we understand the disease, but we got to get the word out. We got to make sure people understand the risks that are involved. And not only that, if they’re caught up it, you need to make sure people understand their exit ramp. There are medications that are very effective at treating addiction, but people aren’t looking at the same medical journals that we are. They aren’t looking at the same public health data. So trying to get the word out and message risk for communities, and then message health promotion for communities. That’s a big challenge.”

Cultural Performances and Community Spirit

Youth and adult dancers from Nuestra Lucha MN and students from ALMAS at Two Rivers High School in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, brought the room to life with performances celebrating Latino culture and resilience. Nathaniel Harris and musical guests performed uplifting live music. These intergenerational expressions of identity and healing echoed the event’s core values: Mental health is emotional, cultural, and a human right.

Next Steps: Support the Movement

Our Twin Cities Mental Health Action Festival was supported by a grant from MTV Entertainment, in partnership with local CBS stations. The Strong Mind Strong Body Foundation was one of 18 organizations (out of 520 that applied) selected to receive a grant for Mental Health Action Day, and we are honored to be part of the global movement to build community trust, connections, and strength.

One of the attendees at our event was Jesus Grijalva, a 35-old-man who survived a brain tumor. He is an alumni of Carmen’s Jovenes de Salud program (the predecessor youth training program of Conversaciones de Salud) and now is interested in working with us. His mom summed up the enthusiasm and appreciation for our work.

“Thank you so much for reaching out to my son and giving him this great opportunity. He is very excited. He loves doing this kind of work, and it came at the perfect time in his life. I believe it is his calling in life. He has such a gentle caring soul. He has so much to give. Even with his own struggles, he always wants to help others. Thank you so much. He is so excited to be a part of something so important. This is so amazing, all the great work you have accomplished. Thank you so much again, and I hope we can meet very soon. Anything I can help with to help you and my son will be my pleasure.”

The Brain Health Solutions for All project will continue with community solutions events, school-based programming, workshops, and multilingual media. All led by youth community journalists.

The festival was just the beginning.

As Ortiz reminded the audience in closing:

“Let’s celebrate, connect, and take steps together toward a healthier, more hopeful future. One brain, one story, one community at a time.”

Now is the time to turn knowledge into action.

If you care about mental health, youth empowerment, and stronger communities, join us. Share your story, support the movement, and be part of the solution.

Together, we can make brain health a reality for all.

Everyone should have access to tools that support their well-being. We want to help people strengthen themselves and their communities through brain power. Join our movement to create more opportunities for young people and their families to learn about brain health, connect with resources, and be inspired to take action.