 MARCH 12 • 2020 | 13

Jews in the D

Out in 
the Open

NEXTGen Detroit Balance 
seeks to destigmatize mental 
illness in young adults.

T

he stigma surrounding 
mental health makes it 
difficult to talk about 
openly. To help counter that 
stigma, NEXTGen Detroit has 
created Balance, a program 
intended to bring awareness to 
(as well as provide education 
and resources about) men-
tal health in the young adult 
Jewish community. 
Balance is the brainchild 
of NEXTGen Detroit Board 
members Marni Lieberman, 
Michael Baum and Alex 
Scharg. They said their main 
goal over the next year is to 
help break the stigma around 
mental illness among young 
adults with programming that 
increases awareness across a 
variety of related topics.
“For a young adult, there is 
a lot of change in adjusting to 
living on your own, starting 
a new job and living in a new 
community,
” Baum said. “It is 
also a time of increased respon-
sibility: entering a serious 
relationship, getting married, 
becoming a new parent, getting 
a promotion at work or starting 
a business. There is a higher 
likelihood of feeling isolated 
during these times without a 
strong support system.
”
That’
s where Balance comes 
in, as well as programs such 
as Federation’
s “We Need To 
Talk” (WN2T) initiative, which 
is a key partner in NEXTGen 
Detroit Balance’
s work. WN2T 
is a youth mental health initia-

tive aimed at changing the way 
our community thinks and acts 
regarding youth mental illness. 
Balance initially launched 
Dec. 18 with a program fea-
turing former University 
of Michigan lineman Will 
Heininger, who suffered from 
depression throughout col-
lege. He shared his story and 
answered questions from par-
ticipants.
The team is currently brain-
storming ideas for upcoming 
programs, including an event 
exploring mental health issues 
for new parents, meal prep on a 
budget with a chef/nutritionist, 
managing stress in the work-
place and how to help a griev-
ing loved one.
“NEXTGen Detroit does 
not claim to be mental health 
experts, nor do we think we 
can solve the very complicated 
issue of mental illness,
” Baum 
said. “However, we can help 
bring in experts to educate and 
we can promote the importance 
of mental health-related tools 
and resources, such as WN2T.
org. We want to encourage 
people in our age bracket espe-
cially, who are experiencing so 
much change in their lives, to 
live in balance and to pay atten-
tion to their mental health.
” 

Find NEXTGen’
s events at 
jewishdetroit.org/events or follow it on 
Facebook and Instagram. Sign up to 
receive WhatsNEXT e-blasts at 
jewishdetroit.org/get-involved/nextgen. 

STEFANI CHUDNOW CONTRIBUTING WRITER

