The Jenkins Family Community Outreach and Education Program has developed and implemented numerous community-based educational programs focused on mental health and well-being since its inception more than 20 years ago. 

Browse our past programs:

Athletes Connected 

Three female athletes at University of Michigan smiling.

Many student-athletes experience mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, but are often reluctant to seek help. The Athletes Connected program was a unique collaboration among the University of Michigan School of Social Work, the Eisenberg Family Depression Center, and the Athletic Department to increase awareness of mental health issues, reduce the stigma around seeking help, and promote positive coping skills among student-athletes. Launched with initial funding from an NCAA Innovations in Research and Practice grant, the program helped student-athletes develop emotional and coping skills through testimonial videos, skill-building presentations, easy-to-access support groups, and ongoing research to improve their mental health. The Athletes Connected program concluded in 2025. 

View program manual | Review NCAA final report 

Bright Lights Public Forum

View of back of person's head who is watching a presentation by a speaker.

In 2006, in partnership with the Ann Arbor District Library, we created a series of live community education events exploring topics related to mental health and well-being, including depression, youth mental health, addiction and bipolar disorder. The events featured University of Michigan experts who shared information and research and answered questions from attendees. In 2020, the series transitioned to video livestreams in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over its lifespan, there have been more than 80 events with more than 6,500 attendees. The program concluded in 2022. View our video archives. 

Maxwell Gray Film Fellowship

Woman sitting in a video studio with film equipment around her.

Launched in 2016, the Maxwell Gray Film Fellowship program raised awareness of student mental health through a series of original videos featuring at-risk high school and college students to increase knowledge of depression and related illnesses, reduce stigma, and increase help-seeking. University of Michigan student filmmakers were selected to participate in the program and worked with an external professional film producer. The Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation provided support for this project, given in memory of Maxwell, who died from depression at age 25. The program was concluded in 2022. Explore our video playlist. 

Mental Minute with Michigan Medicine 

Decortive illustration of brain with white text.

The Mental Minute with Michigan Medicine podcast was started in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It featured expert interviews from within and outside the U-M community discussing a variety of mental health topics. The podcast was hosted by Will Heininger, outreach coordinator at the Eisenberg Family Depression Center, in partnership with Michigan Medicine's Department of Communication. The podcast concluded in 2022. Listen to our podcast archives. 

 

Contact us

For questions or more information about these programs, please contact our team.

SUPPORT OUR WORK