Easter carnival highlights mental health and youth leadership

The Parent-Child Relationship Association (PCR) held its 10th annual Easter Family Carnival at Leif Ericson Park in Brooklyn on April 4, drawing hundreds of families for an afternoon of egg hunts, performances and games.

Organizers said the event reflects years of work to create activities that bring the community together, strengthen parent-child relationships and raise awareness about mental health. They also said a new round of youth leadership programs and summer activities is on the way, and encouraged interested families to get involved.

By the time the event began, the park was already crowded. Partner organizations, including elected officials’ offices and health care groups, handed out information and small gifts. In keeping with the Easter theme, PCR also offered face painting, bunny-ear crafts, egg hunts and photo opportunities with a bunny mascot.

“Even though Easter has religious origins, I think in the Chinese community it has become something everyone can join in on, like Thanksgiving or Halloween. It’s fun just to be part of the excitement,” said one Chinese mother attending with her 8-year-old daughter. She said she has come to PCR’s Easter events for several years and that the cheerful bunny theme and bright decorations make it feel as if spring is finally arriving.

A 10-year milestone reflects growth, continuity and rising awareness

PCR leader Nicole Huang said this year’s event carried special meaning for several reasons. One was a commemorative display wall created for the event’s 10th anniversary, where many parents left heartfelt notes, most of them thanking PCR for its work and contributions over the years.

Another was seeing children who once attended the Easter event return as teenagers to serve as volunteers, giving the day a deeper sense of continuity and shared purpose.

“A lot of kids feel that once they’re old enough to volunteer, they come back,” Huang said. “That part is especially moving. I hope this kind of cycle can continue.”

Huang said a public survey conducted during the event found that 73.4 percent of respondents viewed mental health as “very important” and deserving of attention. She said the result was encouraging and showed that awareness of mental health issues has grown significantly in the Chinese community over the past decade.

“When more and more families run into similar difficulties, that often means it is no longer just one family’s problem, but something the whole community needs to face together,” she said. “That is exactly why building support and connection is so important.”

Programs focus on youth leadership and creative growth

Huang said PCR will soon launch several youth leadership and learning programs and invited interested young people to apply.

The first is a mental health leadership program organized with the NYU Youth Leader 2026 program. It is open to youth volunteers age 16 and older who are interested in mental health and community service, and four participants will be selected.

Over the course of about eight training and practice sessions, participants will learn communication and relationship-building skills, basic research methods, and ways to identify and analyze youth mental health needs. They will also conduct a community needs assessment through interviews with peers and parents.

Based on what they learn, participants will work together to design practical responses to issues such as parent-child relationships and stress relief. In August, they will lead a workshop that puts those ideas into practice in the community while also building their own leadership skills.

PCR is also preparing to launch a seven-week program called Our Neighborhood, Our Lens, which combines photography and reflective writing to help young people document their lives through images and better understand themselves through words.

During the course, students will learn foundational skills such as lighting, composition and street photography. They will also create work outside the classroom in neighborhoods and public spaces across Brooklyn, using those experiences to observe the relationship between people and place and to explore their own emotions and sense of identity.

Families interested in either program can find more information at https://www.pcr.nyc.