As president of the Mount Vernon High School Our Minds Matter Club, Ava Belmont helps bring awareness to mental health issues. Helping both fellow students and herself, she leads meetings discussing mental wellness, organizes awareness months, creates videos to decrease stigma around mental illness, and works to create an open dialogue regarding mental health at the school. She also serves as the President of the Our Minds Matter Teen Advisory Council, where she works to integrate the student voice into Our Minds Matter programming for clubs across the world.

Her interest in mental health began during middle school with her own struggles, and she realized that there was a lack of support and resources available to students, especially those with disabilities or other chronic conditions.

Recently, Ava received a Youth-Led Mental Health Stigma Reduction Mini-Grant of nearly $1,000 from the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board on behalf of the Mount Vernon Minds Matter Club. She is working on implementing this grant to fund a wellness room at Mount Vernon HS to create a safe space for students to relax and take a break during the day.

Ava also serves as a representative with the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Student-Led Mental Health Working Group with School Board Member-At-Large, Abrar Omeish. She works to advocate for equity for mental health awareness at both the school and community levels by bringing awareness to disability rights, LGBTQIA+ issues, conflict resolution from within, and the importance of learning about the intersectionality between Black Indigenous People of Color and barriers to mental health treatment. Ava wrote a proposal for the FCPS board to advocate for greater virtual support in schools to bridge the gap for children and adolescents seeking mental health support. Her proposal, TeleMental Health in FCPS: Research & Proposal, has been reviewed by Superintendent Scott Brabrand, and Ava advocated for its implementation into the fiscal year 2023 budget during the January 25 budget public hearing.

School Counselor Melissa Mentzel notes that Ava consistently advocates for inclusivity to create a more just and peaceful society and encourages peers to advocate for things that they are passionate about.

Ava believes that when one person speaks out about injustice, more will follow, and change will come. “Peace,” she says, “can only come when all voices are heard.”

Ava is currently applying to four-year colleges and plans to pursue a career in healthcare.

Find more information about Our Minds Matter on their website.