#riilcares

More than 250 students and chaperones from 30 high schools attend third annual event

      WARWICK, RI (January 27, 2026) – More than 250 Rhode Island high school students and chaperones representing 30 schools attended the third annual RIIL/KyleCares Teen Mental Health Summit, January 8, 2026 at Gaige Hall on the Rhode Island College campus. The workshop - provided free of charge to students from RIIL member high schools – was part of a unified proactive approach by the RIIL and KyleCares - also made possible with the support of RIC's Student Success - to advocate for mental health awareness across the RIIL community. The goal was for students to leave the Summit armed with knowledge about how to help both themselves and their peers and inspired to positively impact their schools, by leading a change in culture as mental health advocates.

     The conference began with keynote speaker Donovan Taylor Hall in Gaige auditorium. An educator, content creator and youth advocate dedicated to helping young people build positive self-identity, Hall utilizes social-emotional learning and youth development to create programs that empower kids to become their own best friend, boosting life satisfaction, motivation and self-determination.

After listening to the keynote speaker, students and chaperones spent the rest of the morning rotating through nine breakout sessions that touched on a range of topics revolving around . Donovan Taylor Hall moderated a student panel called, “From Awareness to Action: Student Leaders Making a Difference.” The panel featured Hope Moran from East Providence High School, Sophie Boisvert from North Smithfield High and Lincoln High’s Snigdha Kethineni, and the student leaders discussed how they have created successful Active Minds Chapters at their respective schools.

Megan Burke was back for a second year to lead a “Cuerd@s Empathy & Embroidery Workshop,” where students embroidered patches of fabric with self-soothing textures. The embroidered patches will be sewn together to create a blanket that will be donated to a local group home, hospital or mental health program.

Dr. Jonathan Jenkins, a clinical and sport psychologist, spoke on “From Chaos to Composure: The Mental Shift Young Student-Athletes Need Now.” Dr. Jenkins, who works with the New England Patriots, has just co-authored a new book titled “Mentality Wins: The Athlete’s Playbook for Thriving in Sport and Life” with Dr. Kimberly O’Brien. At the mental health summit, he illustrated how maintaining composure under stress – both on the athletic field and in life - is a skill that can be trained, providing the students with simple mental performance strategies.

Dr. James Geisler, a higher education professional and author who supports college student mental health, gave an enlightening talk on, “Beyond the Brochure: Preparing Your Mental Health for the First Year of College.” He discussed the often unexpected obstacles and challenges students face as they make the transition from high school to college and provided tips on how to navigate that first year to help students “not just survive, but thrive academically and personally.”

“When pressure is high and self-doubt kicks in, it’s easy to let your inner critic call the shots,” says Dr. Jill Stoddard. In Dr. Jill Stoddard’s session, titled “Your Compass, Not Your Critic: Choosing Values When Your Inner Critic Gets Loud,” Dr. Stoddard passed along some helpful tools students can use to develop greater confidence, clarity and resilience instead of “letting fear steer the wheel” when high pressure situations and anxiety start leading to self-doubt.

A discussion called "Unfiltered" Conversation: How to Ditch the Pressure for Perfection,” was led by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Behavioral Health Team Resean Lighty, Roxanne Aguiar and Deborah Hicks. They looked at the impact of body image on mental health and discussed ways we can care for our mind and body, emphasizing the role nutrition and sleep play on our mental health.

Dr. Lisa Coyne, an author, clinical psychologist and educator at Harvard Medical School, talked about “How to Help a Friend: Being Braver Together.” That discussion looked at how to be a good friend both to others and ourselves and suggested ways “to grow a supportive group of friends to help you be yourself boldly, with self kindness, and bravery.”

In a session titled “Storytelling & Mental Health,” Jake Miskin, producer of the 2025 award-winning independent film Shattered Ice, showed attendees clips from his film and discussed how characters in a film or television series can help break the ice, so to speak, and inspire audiences to begin having difficult conversations about their own feelings and struggles.

Young adult speaker Muzna shared the many struggles she encountered as a young Muslim girl of color from Pakistan living in a predominantly white town in the United States. She talked about how friends and running track helped her begin accepting her identity and also how therapy and family counseling helped her achieve a healthier balance in her life.

St. Raphael Academy's Director of Guidance Malaina Murphy and colleague Leslie Keenehen staffed the Mental Health Support Lounge, a space that was made available for any attendees who needed a quiet space to calm and center themselves at any point during the conference.

Elizabeth O'Dea, the Director of Community Engagement for Horizon Healthcare Partners, and 988 Community Network Coordinator Jo’el Tillinghast were also on hand to provide information and resources for those who needed it.

The summit concluded with lunch at the Student Union, as well as an Active Minds Chapter Fair, where student advocates from several Rhode Island high schools shared examples with their peers of how they’re taking the lead at their schools to raise awareness and proactively change their school’s culture.