We exist to collaborate with the Church and City for the purpose of extending God’s hope and peace in the area of mental health for all in Alhambra by:

On 5/22/08 at First Baptist Church of Alhambra, the Mental Health Task Force facilitated a roundtable discussion with Alhambra Church Leaders/Pastors on two issues: depression and state of youth/parent issues. Over 25 people participated in this roundtable. Below is part of the discussion from the state of youth/parent issues:

Some of the challenges:

·          Parents might be afraid/fearful of talking about key issues

·          Language barrier at home

·          Youth have loss of cultural identity, not knowing who they really are

·          Little interaction between parents/youth

·          Broken families and parents working long hours to support family

·          Youth feel numb

·          Context of mentors has changed – mentors are filling parental roles

Some suggestions for parents and churches:

·         Parents can openly talk about key issues with children/youth

·         Provide place for youth to dialogue

·         Help youth to discover their identity: it is okay to be bicultural

·         Have mentors, spiritual parents work together with biological parents together

·         Give students a message of hope

·         Have extended community (i.e. church) bridge gaps

·         Help students to find faith that is their own