Elizabeth Zemlyansky
1:58:35
My name is Elizabeth Zemlanski, and I'm a current junior at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
1:58:40
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
1:58:43
During the summer of 2023, I had the privilege of serving as a legislative intern at the New York City Council.
1:58:50
One of my key projects was reviewing the city's mental health road map to recommend areas of improvement.
1:58:55
As I delved into this work, my thoughts immediately turned to mental health initiatives for students, a cause deeply personal to me.
1:59:03
Back in 2020, I founded my own mental health awareness club.
1:59:07
This experience ignited a passion within me to empower every student in the New York City public schools to have the tools, resources, but most importantly, the encouragement to start similar initiatives.
1:59:18
I'd like to share a brief version of my journey.
1:59:21
In my sophomore year of high school, I lost a classmate to a tragic circumstance.
1:59:26
Upon hearing the devastating news, students at my high school were struggling to cope with the loss of both a beloved classmate and friend.
1:59:33
A few months after this tragedy, the pandemic began.
1:59:36
Students who were still coping were now forced into lockdown, leaving us all defenseless and quarantined.
1:59:43
So many of us wrestled with unanswered questions.
1:59:45
If someone we all felt we knew well could disguise his fears and anguish so well, I could only imagine how many others were hiding.
1:59:52
Starting a mental health awareness club was my only way to bring us together, and I wanted students to realize that there are people who can help them when they are feeling hopeless, and we, as peers, can be there for one another.
2:00:05
Getting the club approved took fierce persistence.
2:00:07
I received a lot of pushback from administration, but finally got through to the board of education.
2:00:12
I had to present and answer technical questions as well as find an adviser and school psychologist to agree to be present when necessary during meetings.
2:00:20
Luckily, at the time, we had many intern school psychologists who were willing to help, and the club was finally approved to start in the next fall.
2:00:28
After spending a lot of time promoting the club, we had an outstanding turnout of about 40 members, and hearing my peers talk about anxiety, isolation, and pressure initially stunned me.
2:00:39
Our meetings consisted of guest speakers, work shops, informational activities, jeopardy, coping strategies, therapeutic games, meditation, and yoga exercises.
2:00:49
We always ended with a time for discussion where students could bring up anything that was on their mind, and today, I'm proud to say that the club still stands.
2:00:58
I'm proud that the students of my high school continue this essential club, and I am excited to be back home for Thanksgiving so that I can attend a meeting myself.
2:01:05
Through student wellness club toolkits, peer to peer mental health training, and the involvement of aspiring mental health professionals in running these clubs, we can change the lives of students across all of New York City.
2:01:17
Having a mental health awareness club is not just a place where students discuss their problems.
2:01:21
It's a means of protection and prevention for all.
2:01:25
It's a hope that the student body may have never thought existed.
