SPECIAL EVENT: Spring Into Hope- A Mental Health Awareness Festival

Join in a day of festivities and community engagement on April 6 from 2-6pm as Ijams Nature Center, UTK Sources of Strength and Contact Care Line bring you 'Spring Into Hope,' a vibrant and uplifting mental health awareness festival! With the arrival of spring, we come together to spread messages of hope, resilience, and support for ourselves and each other. This festival is a space for healing, learning, and connecting with others who understand the challenges we face. 

The day will be filled with community resources, music, art, speaker sessions, hands-on workshops, and discussions, with the goal of breaking the stigma surrounding mental health and promote positive well-being for all.

Event begins at 2pm. Musical performances begin at 4pm. 

SPEAKER SESSIONS:

2:00-3:00pm

Nature Nourishes: Explore the therapeutic benefits of time spent outside in nature 

Jennie McGuigan, Ijams Education Director, and Trisha Hedinger, Director of UT Speech Pathology Clinic

3:00-4:00pm

Making a Difference with Mental Health Activism

Trish Lockard and Dr. Terri Lyons, Authors of Make a Difference with Mental Health Activism

4:00-4:30pm

Adult Social Emotional Learning 101: Nurturing Adult Social Well-being

Melody Hawkins, Founder and Creator of VisionLEd LLC.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS:

2:30-3:30pm

Of Fire and Flow: Healing through Poetry

Black Atticus, Poet Laureate of Knoxville

3:30-4:30pm

988 Lifeline: We are Here to Listen!

Contact Care Line

MUSIC LINE UP

4:00-4:20pm- Jodie Manross

4:30-5:00pm- Black Atticus

5:15-6:00pm- Butcherbird

This is a free event but donations for this event are greatly appreciated and go to support Sources of Strength @ UTK to advance mental health awareness among college students, employees at the University of Tennessee, and the broader community by destigmatizing conversations around mental health through help-seeking behavior, fostering resilience, encouraging healthy coping mechanisms, and cultivating a sense of belonging within the community. Parking will also be free on this day at Ijams.

This event is sponsored by: Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network, UTK College of Social Work, The McNabb Center, Union Place Bar and Grill