SWAMPSCOTT — The E.F. Gilmore DAV of the North Shore will be hosting their second annual Mental Health Summit on Tuesday, Nov. 26.

The event, located at Swampscott High School, is a rare and exciting chance to bring teens and veterans together to recognize the importance of mental health.

The theme of the event will be “Together we thrive: Veterans and Teens Embracing Mental Wellness.” The aim of the summit is to rally together experts to discuss mental health issues that affect both teens and veterans.

“We hope that this summit will begin the discussion in the North Shore about the issues of mental health in our communities,”  Commander of the E.F. Gilmore DAV Jeffrey Blonder said.

Topics that will be covered throughout the duration of the summit will also include subjects like substance-abuse and suicide prevention. According to Blonder, the summit will have an interactive component for the audience, in order to expand the discussion to areas that the community may be interested in covering.

“There are many ways community members could benefit from this summit, gaining general or specific information that is helpful to themselves, a friend, or community member,” Blonder said in a press release.

The press release highlighted that the days of stigmatization of mental health concerns are “slowly melting behind us”.

“It is time to be welcoming to those who reach out, to those who feel marginalized, or those who could use support in this fast-moving and challenging world we occupy together,” Blonder said.

Speakers at the event will open dialogue about issues affecting both teens and veterans, and by extension, the whole North Shore community. The summit will be open to all and will be completely free for community members to participate in. In addition to the summit, a light dinner will also be served to guests, starting at 6 p.m.

“If our forum encourages one person to extend that hand in peace and friendship, or one person turns to themselves in the direction of making their life a little more satisfying, it will have been a good night,” Blonder concluded in the press release.

For any further information or any questions that remain unanswered, community members are encouraged to reach out to Jeffrey Blonder through email at [email protected].