The Dallas Mavericks recently hosted an impactful event for students at the Young Women’s STEAM Academy in Balch Springs focused on topics surrounding mental health.
As part of the Girls Empowered by Mavericks (GEM) program, the event featured fun and games with Mavs mascot Champ and a conversation with guests from UT Southwestern and the Dallas Wings, who educated the young women on the importance of prioritizing their mental wellness.
Dr. Kaylee Davis-Bordovsky, assistant professor in child and adolescent psychiatry at UT Southwestern, emphasized the importance of fostering these conversations with middle-school-aged girls, citing that nearly half of all mental illnesses begin around age 14.
During her time, Dr. Davis helped define the differences between mental health and mental illness, highlighted the benefits of a balanced diet, exercise and a quality night’s rest, and drove home a message of community.
“It’s critical that we start having this discussion now while these students are young so that we can bring awareness to the topic, and they can seek mental health treatment while they’re still young to prevent it from developing into something a lot more serious,” she said.
“The biggest thing I hope the students walked away with is that you can’t get help unless you talk to somebody. Most people feel like they’re going through things alone and need to keep it bottled up. But what I want them to take away is that you have to talk to somebody, whether it’s a friend, a teacher, a parent, a coach or a counselor, to start that conversation because nobody knows that they can help you unless you tell them.”
Also weighing in on the topic and illustrating the importance of Dr. Davis’ words was Jasmine Thomas, the Dallas Wings’ VP of basketball operations and assistant general manager.
With 13 years as a WNBA player on her resume, Thomas offered a peek into the good and bad stresses she faced as a long-time player and during her recent career transition from the court to the front office.
“I would say that the stress and the anxiety to perform, and to do well, and to keep breaking barriers and getting better has consistently been with me, and what I have learned is the balance and the support system that is necessary to deal with that,” Thomas said while addressing the young women in the audience. “So, for me, when I was younger, around your age, the best way I did that was through the people I surrounded myself with, the friends and the family that had my goals in mind and that I could rely on.”
Instead of their typical one-hour athletics class, this edition of the GEM speakers series empowered students at the Young Women’s STEAM Academy with a deeper understanding of their mental health and the importance of asking for help during this critical time in their young lives.
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