Q&A
Students share experiences with peer support and mental health challenges
1:27:28
·
141 sec
Council Member Lee asks students about their experiences dealing with friends' mental health issues and suicidal thoughts. Students Adonte and Cree share their experiences with peer support and initiatives they've started in their schools.
- Adonte describes working with a guidance counselor to support a friend who sent a suicide note
- Cree talks about starting an 'Open Ears' club to support LGBTQ+ students and create a welcoming environment
- Both students emphasize the importance of peer support and creating safe spaces for discussion
Linda Lee
1:27:28
So, real quick question for Dante and Cree.
1:27:32
So, when you were going through, I guess, the experiences and challenges with your friends that were experiencing suicidal thoughts or mental health issues, did you feel that like, I guess my question is, were you able to talk to anyone in the school admin?
1:27:51
Were they supportive?
1:27:53
Was there a sort of a natural, just, gathering that, you know, of group, like a well Kind of like the peer groups that we're talking about today.
1:27:59
Was there sort of something naturally that happened there?
1:28:02
Or did you face any challenges along the way or resistance?
1:28:05
Just out of curiosity.
1:28:07
Yeah.
Adonte Dacosta
1:28:09
For me, me and my friend and our guidance counselor, who is a licensed, like, therapist, we all came, like, up to him, saying, let's talk about this.
1:28:20
Because one day, he just texted all of us, like, a note, like, a suicide note.
1:28:25
So we all came together and just together and just had the conversations with him, saying, I know you're going through this, but we're here with you.
1:28:30
And what your pain what you're going through, we're going through with you with you gone.
1:28:35
Thanks for sharing that.
1:28:36
And I don't know if
Linda Lee
1:28:37
you wanted to add anything or yeah.
1:28:40
I'm to add anything or Yeah.
1:28:47
Yeah.
Cree Atkins-Griffin
1:28:51
Actually, that's a great question because it just reminded me, my freshman year, I did start an open ears club in my school because I go to school with kids who go by non binary or different sexual orientations, and they feel like they're not welcome.
1:29:09
And so open ears, I was the founder of it, but I did stop it because I, myself, had a mental health crisis that I had to deal with.
1:29:18
So before I could help others, I had to learn how to help myself.
1:29:22
But I am starting to open up open ears before.
1:29:26
At the part of my high school years, it was mainly just where kids could come come together, talk about their feelings, help each other, uplift each other, do small activities, you know, just make each other feel welcome and appreciated and accepted because acceptance is a huge thing and not a lot of people is granted of it.
1:29:45
So I always wanted to make sure everybody had that type of acceptance.
