Students Embrace Wellness and Self-Discovery at Give Chances Leadership Forum with NJ4S Bergen

Palisades Park, NJ – New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) Bergen Hub, a New Jersey Department of Children and Families program providing a hub-and-spoke model of services and resources to support youth mental wellness in Bergen County, and Give Chances Inc., a nonprofit organization supporting people with disabilities locally through quality education, hosted 250+ Bergen County middle and high school students at Give Chances headquarters to close out Mental Health Awareness Month for Chance Makers Leadership Forum 2025: A Journey to Wellness and Self-Discovery. The forum featured panelists representing a variety of professional industries, united by personal journeys of working through the challenges school and work present on mental health.

The Chance Makers are a Youth Leadership Council at Give Chances made up of middle and high school students as part of the organization’s Youth Development programming. Students are volunteers, mentors and advocates for their peers, practicing leadership throughout the community.

NJ4S Prevention Consultants Erick Gamero and Katie Han kicked off the night with an introduction of the NJ4S Advisory Board and Coalition Members, offering information about the organization’s work and free mental health and wellness services available to students and their families throughout Bergen County. Joining Gamero and Han in facilitating the event were Supervising Prevention Consultant Amelia Rostant, Prevention Consultants Elizabeth Camargo and Julia Zabludovsky and Clinician Stefano Lopez, LCSW, who also participated in the panel.

“NJ4S Bergen Hub and Give Chances are longstanding partners in bringing together students to advocate for the mental wellness of themselves and others in the community,” said Katie Han, Prevention Consultant, NJ4S Bergen Hub. “This forum embodied NJ4S Bergen’s commitment to building relationships with youth to empower them to embrace the role of mental health in their academic and future professional journeys. Chance Makers are leaders and pioneers, calling-in their peers to reduce the stigma and move through life with a new perspective on wellness and self-discovery.”

Chance Makers Council Members followed with remarks to students about the Chance Maker experience and its five areas of focus: advocacy, fundraising, outreach, research, and mental health advocacy. Chance Makers harness storytelling and humanities-based learning to engage the community and reduce mental health stigma through lived-experiences, offering unique insight into council activities, from workshops and awareness campaigns to community forums and fundraising events.
Panelists at the Chance Makers Forum included professionals from a variety of sectors, including law, medicine, behavioral health, fashion and design, and finance.

Each panelist shared experiences from their youth, detailing the impact of everyday stressors such as studying, applying for colleges and managing expectations of success. Students gained insight into how the pressure to achieve can be both motivating and harmful, and how identifying healthy ways to cope with stress is invaluable in academic and professional life.

“The collaboration between Give Chances and NJ4S Bergen allowed for a space of safety, encouragement, and inspiration for hundreds of students,” said Anna Lee, Director, Give Chances. “The Chance Makers Forum event was envisioned as a platform for healing, connection, and empowerment, and NJ4S Bergen Hub helped us bring that vision to life. We look forward to exploring how to make next year’s forum even better.”

The forum also included mental health bingo, a speed networking session, a mental health escape room and a raffle with prizes. All participants received a Youth Wellness Advocate Certificate at the end of the forum.

Middle and high school students interested in applying for the Chance Makers 2025-2025 Cohort can learn more and complete an application here.

Students can join the NJ4S Bergen Student Advisory Board by emailing info@nj4sbergen.org.

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About New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S)
The New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) is a New Jersey Department of Children and Families program providing a statewide, innovative hub-and-spoke model of services and resources to support youth mental wellness. 15 regional hubs provide prevention and brief intervention services to New Jersey public school students, parents/caretakers, and school faculty. To learn more about NJ4S, visit https://nj4s.nj.gov/s/.

About Children’s Aid and Family Services
Children’s Aid and Family Services is one of northern New Jersey’s leading nonprofit providers of services that protect and support vulnerable children, adults and families. The agency is focused on meeting ever-evolving social needs by expanding our programs to help members of the community live their best lives.

About Give Chances, Inc.
Give Chances is a nonprofit organization supporting people with disabilities locally through quality education. Founded in 2011 with a global perspective, Give Chances recognized the challenges faced by young minds in impoverished areas of Honduras. The passion to provide them with the means to thrive, grow, and succeed led to the inception of Give Chances. The experiences in Honduras laid the foundation for a commitment to fostering educational opportunities, inspiring Give Chances to bring this vision back to the United States. Established in 2015, Give Chances has grown into a nationwide and worldwide initiative, headquartered proudly in New Jersey.