The University of Illinois School of Social Work is proud to honor World Mental Health Day (October 10, 2025) with a series of engaging events that highlight the power of art, movement, and global dialogue to support healing, resilience, and community. Sponsored by School of Social Work Beyond Borders Global Mental Health Conference (IIP Implementation Grant), and co-sponsored by the Leveraging the Arts (IGI Grant) series, these events invite students, faculty, staff, and community members to connect across cultures and disciplines while exploring innovative approaches to mental health.
Together, these events highlight how the arts and global collaboration can expand our understanding of mental health while fostering resilience, cultural humility, and community. Join us in honoring World Mental Health Day 2025 and be part of the conversation on healing and connection, here at Illinois.
Learn more about the global campaign: World Mental Health Day 2025 – WHO
October 8 | 12:00–1:00 pm | SSW Room #2015
Meet n’ Greet with Global Guests
Join us for a lively lunchtime gathering with international scholars from Bangladesh and South Africa, here for the inaugural Beyond Borders Global Mental Health Research and Practice Conference. Guests include Senzelwe Mthembu and Dr. Matshidiso Sello from the Centre for Social Development in Africa, and Imran Hossain and Dr. Md. Ismail Hossain from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.
This is a unique opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to share ideas, ask questions, and build meaningful connections around global mental health. Pizza lunch provided!
October 9 | 5:30 pm | Krannert Center for the Performing Arts | FREE
Moving Through It: A Playful Uncorked with Raheim White & Kamau Grantham (1.5 CEUs)
Experience an embodied exploration of resilience, power, and play. Facilitators Raheim White and Kamau Grantham invite participants to use movement as a tool for emotional regulation, self-expression, and connection. This joyful session is part of KCPA’s popular Uncorked series.
Learn more
October 9 | 7:30 pm | Krannert Center for the Performing Arts | RSVP Required
AFRIQUE Dance Performance (1.5 CEUs)
Witness the brilliance of Katherine Dunham’s choreographic legacy with a performance of Afrique (1949) and selections from Cabin in the Sky. Participants will explore how Dunham’s work illuminates intersections of race, identity, and resistance, and how contemporary artists reinterpret her legacy to tell new stories of Black identity and community.
This performance also examines dance and ritual as tools for healing, advocacy, and cultural transmission—powerful lessons for social work practice.
Reserve tickets here
October 10 | 12:00 pm | I-Hotel, Conference Room A | FREE
Workshop with Raheim White (1.0 CEU)
In this interactive workshop, Raheim White guides participants in exploring movement as a pathway for emotional regulation, empathy, and healing. Through accessible choreography and reflection, participants will consider how embodied practices can be integrated into therapeutic, educational, and community-based settings to strengthen resilience and connection.