Youth and young adult volunteer ambassadors working with Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) are developing a series of five workshops to help their peers contend with the effects of COVID-19 restrictions. The next workshop in the series will take place Saturday and is entitled “Art As Therapy: A Mental Health Workshop.”

“This program was developed by the ambassadors to help young people to cope with the effects of COVID,” said the organizer of the ambassador program, Davis Okonkwo. “This is a way to share how they feel about what’s been happening to them the past two years.”

Over the last year, many groups across the country have been developing and providing art therapy programs to use as a healthy coping mechanism for contending with the effects of the pandemic response. Through the help and training with mental health professionals offered by the CCHS, the ambassadors came to believe that art therapy helps youth and young adults with feelings of isolation and alienation caused by the pandemic response and that it lets individuals create an outlet for their expressions.

During the Oct. 22 event, CCHS will provide art therapy and mental health guest speakers. The program is for ages 15 to 24. The workshop will feature teach how to handle the emotional impacts of the pandemic and understanding how to use art to de-stress oneself. Participants will get to make their own art to take home with them.

The event will take place in the Antioch Community Center at 4703 Lone Tree Way from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Preregistration is required and can be done online at bayareane.ws/3S7anzY.

The COVID-19 Youth and Young Adult Ambassador Program’s primary role is to create messages for youth and young adults about the importance of protecting oneself and others from COVID-19. CCHS founded the group in March 2021.

The program began with a team of 17 ambassadors and three program coordinators. At one point, the team had more than 40 volunteer ambassadors. Today Okonkwo said that there are slightly more than 25 ambassadors.

Okonkwo said the ambassadors are still working on future programs and where they will be held. He said that a lot of the ambassadors’ contributions to the program can be found on the CCHS social media Facebook and Instagram pages.

Oaktober festival: The city of Oakley is changing the name of its annual Harvest Festival to Oaktober Harvest Festival and revamping some of its activities this year. The event will take place Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at Oakley’s Civic Plaza.

New to the festival this year will be beer and wine booths, food truck vendors and entertainment. Performances on the event stage will include a pie walk at 1:20 and 2:45 p.m., a Project 4 Band performance at 1:30 p.m. and a magic show at 3 p.m.

As in previous years, the festival will feature a family-friendly costume parade for children and adults, a dog costume parade, a pumpkin decorating contest and more than 30 vendors. Many of the local nonprofit groups in attendance offer games and fun activities for children.

Roni Gehlke can be reached at oakleynow@comcast.net.