For the past 25 years, Community Center Shanghai (CCS) has provided an invaluable mental support network to families and individuals in Shanghai through direct counseling, open events, and community building initiatives.

In celebration of World Teen Metal Wellness Day, CCS are hosting a "meaningful film night" on Thursday, March 16: a screening of The Son, an important and powerful new film from Oscar winning director, Florial Zeller.

Join fellow parents, educators, and mental health advocates for a panel discussion after the film, "to illuminate and dedicate" to the cause of improving young peoples' and their parents mental health.

SmartShanghai talked to CCS about the event to get a little more information on what guests can expect.

SmSh: Can you introduce Community Center Shanghai for people who might not have heard of it?

Flora Wang - Director of Development & Community Engagement: Community Center Shanghai is a non-profit organization with a 25-year history in Shanghai. CCS carries the mission of mental health advocacy through community building and being a leading resource for the internationally- minded community in China.

CCS is known for introducing major mental wellness initiatives and community events that bring together young people, educators, mental health practitioners to raise awareness. CCS positively impacts wellness by advocating for both public institutions and businesses that are working to raise awareness, bring down the stigma around mental health issues, Its mission is to empower wellness and make counseling available for everyone regardless of people's financial situation.

SmSh: So you offer counseling services?

Flora Wang: In addition to one-on-on counseling, Community Center Shanghai Counseling also offers support groups this Spring. These groups will provide an opportunity for community members to connect with each other on a deep, meaningful level and to share, encourage, and support each other through common struggles and issues.

See the flyers below for detailed information on each group:

SmSh: What's World Teen Mental Wellness Day?

CCS: World Teen Mental Wellness Day is observed across the globe on March 2 every year. It is a day that aims to raise awareness about the mental health issues that teenagers deal with. This Day is about making efforts to educate everyone and destigmatize, something that is becoming increasingly common. There are informational and helpful materials on this topic available across various platforms.

SmSh: Can you introduce the movie to people who might not have heard of it?

CSS: For his second feature, Oscar winning playwright-turned-filmmaker Florian Zeller adapted another of his plays, The Son, which reunites him with Anthony Hopkins, who won an Oscar for The Father.

The Son, stars Hugh Jackman as Peter, a political consultant whose ex-wife (Laura Dern) shows up at his new home worried about their teenage son, Nicholas (Zen McGrath). Nicholas has been skipping school and seems to have deeply ingrained emotional issues, which forces the adults in his life (including a stepmother played by Vanessa Kirby) to try to fix him, even if none of them really know how.

The Son is an incredibly powerful and moving film, but it's also a difficult film in that deals honestly with mental health issues common in young people, who statistically have been the most impacted negatively by the pandemic.

SmSh: The film screening is being followed by a panel discussion. Can you introduce the panel? Who is speaking and what topics will be discussed?

CSS: The panel discussion is part of our film night, and one of our commitments to our community call to action to illuminate and dedicate ourselves to improving young people's and their parents' mental health.

Our moderator is a parent, educator, and the Dulwich Pudong Head of Film, Anthony Reich. He'll be leading a panel discussion that includes academics, psychiatrists, counselors, and life coaches. Our eight-person group includes:

• Pete Rogers - Director of Counseling at Community Center Shanghai
• Professor Wei Jiang - Chief of Mental Health at Jiahui Health
• CH Huang - Octave Institute and New York Licensed Social Worker
• Bohan Zhang - the Lead Mental Health Counselor at ELG
• Skylah-Rose Stuurman - YCIS and TEDx Youth Speaker
• Amanda Yu - High School Counselor at Concordia International School
• Eason Shang - licensed psychotherapist in United Family Healthcare

SmSh: The event introduction specifies that there will be "resources available for families" to improve mental health. Can you elaborate on that?

Pete Rogers, Director of Counseling of CCS: When families are educated, informed, and thoughtful about how they accompany their teenagers through challenging times, the outcomes are usually more healthy, both short-term and long-term.

Our panel of experts represents several hospitals, clinics, or consultancies, that serve as resources for families across Shanghai, and beyond. Contact information for all of our panelists, as well as a listing of other mental health resources in the area, will be made available to all attendees.

We wish to note that by listing these resources, we are not endorsing any particular resource, but rather giving parents a place to begin their journey should they wish to explore resources for themselves or their children.

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In celebration of World Teen Mental Wellness Day, the Community Center hosts a film screening of the movie "The Son" starring Hugh Jackman. The movie explores intergenerational dynamics, family relationships and teen struggles. The movie is followed by a panel discussion on teen mental health. 150rmb entrance fee, with all proceeds going to charity. Join the Community Center for a meaningful film night with fellow parents, educators and an engaging panel discussion on youth mental health with practitioners, educators, parents, and friends. See this post for more details and ticketing: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/73EyADi7BB4x3783BJzMbw