Guilford County announced on Apr. 14 that it will host its fifth annual Mental Health Resource Fair in partnership with Alexander Youth Network. The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 2, from noon to 4 p.m., and will take place at 925 Third St. in Greensboro.
The fair aims to promote mental wellness, connect residents with support services, and reduce the stigma around mental health and substance misuse. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet local mental health service providers and organizations. The event will also feature family-friendly activities such as music, games, and food trucks in the parking lot of Alexander Youth Network.
Residents seeking more information about available services can visit GuilfordCountyNC.gov/MentalHealth to learn about offerings at the Guilford County Behavioral Health Center as well as other local resources.
Academic readiness data provides additional context for community needs: among senior students in Guilford County school districts who took the science portion of the ACT during the 2022-23 school year, only 22.3% were considered ready for college according to North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. For junior students taking science, that figure was slightly lower at 21.4% according to North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
Reading scores show similar trends: just over three out of ten seniors (30.8%) met college readiness benchmarks on the reading portion of the ACT according to North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, while juniors reached a rate of 28.2% according to North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. In math, only about one quarter (23.7%) of seniors demonstrated college readiness on the ACT according to North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, compared with just over one fifth (21.1%) among juniors according to North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
The upcoming resource fair is part of ongoing efforts by county officials and partners to address both academic and behavioral health challenges within Guilford County.
