Student-Athlete Mental Health Week
One week every October when schools across the country make mental health part of athletic culture. In 2026, more than 572 schools showed up.
Need support now? Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and available 24/7 in the U.S.
What is Student-Athlete Mental Health Week?
Student-Athlete Mental Health Week (SAMHW) is an annual week of collective action to break down mental health stigma and expand resources for student-athletes at colleges, universities, and high schools nationwide.
Kym and Mark Hilinski started the movement through Hilinski’s Hope in memory of their son, Tyler, turning grief into action to protect student-athletes. 2026 marked its seventh year, and the first co-presented with Athletes for Hope.
This year’s week ran October 3–10, alongside Mental Illness Awareness Week, and ended on World Mental Health Day.
Wear green
Green ribbons show up on uniforms, in ponytails, and on sidelines as a visible sign that mental health belongs in sport.
Show up together
Teams wear SAMHW bracelets, pins, and tattoos all week, so every teammate knows they’re not alone.
Start the conversation
Mental health PSAs play at games, and athletes, coaches, and staff talk openly about checking in on themselves and each other.
2026 by the numbers
Participants ranged from Division I programs to community colleges, high schools, and entire school districts.
Online during SAMHW week
Instagram shares jumped more than 1,000% over the week before, with 5,800+ shares across platforms. On athletesforhope.org, 2,540 visitors viewed more than 4,700 pages, and more than one in four of those views were mental health content. Figures from AFH’s Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and website, October 3–10, 2026.
A free SAMHW box for every school
Every participating school receives a free SAMHW box packed with pride items athletes can wear all week long.
- Bracelets
- Pins
- Ribbons
- Tattoos
- Stickers
- And more
2026 highlights
From the court to the sideline, athletes and coaches wore the week with pride.
Read the full SAMHW 2026 recap
Athletes as messengers
When athletes speak openly about their mental health, they give teammates and the young people watching permission to do the same. That’s why athlete-led storytelling sits at the center of SAMHW.
Jalen Hurts on asking for help
Super Bowl LIX MVP
Jalen Hurts knows pressure. Benched at halftime of a national championship game, he transferred, rebuilt, became a Heisman finalist, and went on to be named Super Bowl LIX MVP. For SAMHW, he shared a message for every student-athlete: it’s okay to ask for help.
“Taking care of your mind is a part of taking care of your game. The two aren’t separate.”
Our first year as co-presenting partner
Athletes for Hope joined SAMHW to bring more athlete voices, deeper resources, and a deliberate push to the high school level, where early intervention matters most.
The pressures athletes face don’t start at 18. Identity, performance anxiety, and the weight of expectations often converge in the high school years, so reaching athletes then means building a healthier culture before a crisis, not after.
Read: Athlete displacement and finding identity beyond the game
- Athlete-led resourcesMental health tools from the AFH Center for Wellbeing, built by athletes and supported by clinical expertise.
- Ambassador storytellingStories from AFH’s national athlete community.
- Campus activationsEvents and outreach through AFH University.
- A panel on wellbeing in sport“The Mental Health Science Athletes Aren’t Being Told,” featuring Dr. Pamela Collins of Johns Hopkins.
- Youth programmingHigh school reach through CHAMPS and AFH’s high school network.
Frequently asked questions
What is Student-Athlete Mental Health Week?
An annual week of collective action, led by Hilinski’s Hope, focused on breaking down mental health stigma and increasing resources for student-athletes at colleges, universities, and high schools nationwide. 2026 marked the seventh year, and the first co-presented with Athletes for Hope.
When does it take place?
SAMHW 2026 ran October 3–10, alongside Mental Illness Awareness Week, and ended on World Mental Health Day, October 10.
How can my school get involved next year?
Visit hilinskishope.org/samhw to register and access the SAMHW Toolkit.
What comes in the SAMHW box?
Every participating school receives a free box of pride items for athletes to wear during the week, including bracelets, pins, ribbons, tattoos, stickers, and more.
What does Athletes for Hope bring to the partnership?
AFH contributes athlete-led mental health resources, ambassador storytelling, campus activations through AFH University, and youth programming, all supported by the Center for Wellbeing.
Thank you to the 572+
To every school, athletic department, coach, clinician, and student-athlete who took part: you showed up. In a culture that still sometimes treats vulnerability as weakness, that matters.
To Kym, Mark, and the entire Hilinski’s Hope team: thank you for building something worth joining. Tyler’s legacy lives in every green ribbon, every raised hand in the third quarter, and every conversation that happened this week.
The SAMHW Toolkit stays live, and the Center for Wellbeing stays open all year. We’re just getting started.
Need help right now? Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and available 24/7 in the U.S.