On September 8, 2022, the community of Bastrop, Texas played host to an extraordinary gathering. Hogg Foundation staff, local community leaders, and representatives from the International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership met with a most unlikely visitor: Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.
As the honorary chairperson for the Netherlands-based Mind Us foundation, Queen Máxima has a passion for youth mental health. This passion served her well on this day, allowing her to interact in small group circles with the Youth Ambassadors who were also on hand. The Youth Ambassadors, aged 14 to 21, proudly represented Resilient Bastrop County, one of the collaboratives being funded through the foundation’s Collaborative Approaches to Well-being in Rural Communities grant. They gave Her Royal Majesty a friendly earful about their mental health challenges as well as their hopes for their communities.
This video features highlights from the event. Find a more complete account of the royal visit.
Credit: Michael Anthony Gibson