Feeling excited (or nervous) about leading your first Art Opening Minds Class? What ever you're experiencing is totally normal. The good news: we've worked hard so that everything you need should be ready for you. With just a bit of prep, we hope you’ll feel confident and grounded heading into your session.

Here’s a simple checklist to help you prepare.

Choose Your Class

Go to the Classes page to browse or filter based on your goals. You can search by:

• Topic (e.g., anxiety, burnout, PTSD)
• Class Type (training, self-care, empathy-building)
• Length, featured identities, learning objectives, and more
  Tip: If you already love a specific film, start in the Voices With Impact section and find Classes that feature it.

Watch the Films

Each Class is built around short films—watch them ahead of time so you understand their tone, themes, and emotional arc.
Ask yourself:

• What do I feel while watching?
• What moments might be especially impactful—or challenging—for Participants?
• How might this relate to the community I’m leading?

Review the Script

Each Class includes a script that offers sample language for every slide. You don’t need to memorize or read it word-for-word. It’s there to support you only if it's helpful. If you are an experienced mental health presenter you may prefer to just use the bullets on the slide to guide you.
As you read through:

• Note anything you want to personalize when you deliver the class, like specific examples from your campus, or different language you might use
• Practice transitions so you feel smooth moving between sections

Understand the Flow

At the top of every Class page, you’ll find a run-of-show that outlines the flow of the Class.
This includes:

• Welcome + framing
• Film(s) + discussion
• Reflection activities
• Closing + evaluations
  You’ll also see any optional slides (extra questions or deeper content). Decide whether you want to include them based on your group and your time.

Set Up Student Access

Participants will need to log in to the AOM portal to access the films and resources. You have two options for getting them set up:

• Upload a roster: If you know who will be attending, you can upload their names and emails ahead of time as a .csv file.
• Create a registration page: This generates a QR code and a ready-to-present HTML page, perfect for drop-in sessions or sharing access as students arrive.
  Tip: Display the registration page at the start of your Class so Participants can sign in easily** **and stay connected to the materials throughout the Class.

Breathe

You don’t need to be a mental health expert to lead this Class. You just need to hold space for reflection and dialogue. You’ve got this.

Tips & Notes

• Want extra support? Keep exploring the Learning Center for more how-to articles, sample responses, background on they WHY behind the Classes, and more.
• After the Class, return to your Partner Portal to view evaluation responses and reflect on how it went.
• Every time you lead, you’ll build more confidence and ease.