Health
GATeS Leads the Way with ‘Rise Above’ Initiative to Address Youth Addiction & Mental Wellness in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia: The Greater Atlanta Telangana Society (GATeS), in a powerful collaboration with the NeuroNexus Club, is proud to announce the successful completion of the “RISE ABOVE” seminar. Held on February 15th at the Old Atlanta Recreation Club, the event served as a critical platform for addressing youth addiction and mental health awareness within our community.
Youth Led Excellence
In a remarkable display of leadership, this event was conceptualized and executed by the GATeS Youth Committee with the support of Greater Atlanta Telangana Society (GATeS) EC and Board. The session was energized from the start, kicked off by Neha Kushnapalli, whose opening remarks set a tone of advocacy and hope.
The afternoon was expertly anchored by Aneesh Gosangari, Founder of NeuroNexus Club. As the moderator, Aneesh bridged the gap between professional expertise and the lived experiences of today’s youth, ensuring that both parents and children walked away with actionable information.
Expert Insights
The panel of speakers provided a 360-degree view of the addiction crisis and the mental health landscape:
Jeff Breedlove (CEO, American Addiction Recovery Association): Delivered a moving and high-impact session. By sharing his personal journey of overcoming addiction, he transformed policy statistics into a human story. He provided vital updates on Georgia’s mental health legislation and offered a roadmap on how to curb addiction in the state.
Kirsten Hall Banks (CEO, Therapeutic Recovery Network): Brought a professional clinical lens to the stage, sharing how to build and navigate a therapeutic recovery network that supports long-term healing.
Dr. Deepti Talluri (Mental Wellness Consultant): Focused on the “now,” offering practical mental wellness strategies that students can use to manage stress and families can use to maintain open lines of communication.
Aruna Bikmal (Founder, GitaWise Inc.): Highlighted the preventive power of values-based education, discussing how core principles and cultural roots can build the internal resilience needed to resist peer pressure.
A Unified Leadership Effort
The success of this seminar was made possible by the dedicated GATeS Team 2026, who worked tirelessly to set up the event within a very tight time frame.
The following leadership members were present and instrumental in the event’s execution:
| GATeS Leadership & Organizing Team | |
| Ramana Gandra (President) | Jyothsna Palakurthy (Board Chairman) |
| Kirthidhar Goud Chekkilla | Raghuveer Reddy Gadipalli |
| Ramakrishna Gandra | Anil Kushnapalli |
| Sharath Gandra | Vijay Vinjamara |
| Chandhu Althati | Hemanth Palla |
| Dinesh Dunthula | Raveender Dasarapu |
Closing & Felicitation
At the conclusion of the event, GATeS leadership officially felicitated the guest speakers for their contributions to the community. The speakers, in turn, expressed their gratitude to the Greater Atlanta Telangana Society (GATeS), recognizing the organization’s proactive efforts in hosting such a “much-needed awareness program.”
The event successfully fostered a safe space for dialogue, with families walking away with better tools to identify struggles early. Following this success, the Greater Atlanta Telangana Society (GATeS) looks forward to hosting many more impactful programs designed to strengthen and educate our community.
