A student discusses with a representative for a mental health organization for further information.
On March 7, Metea hosted a mental health symposium that brought together mental health organizations, including Operation Snowball and 360 Youth Services.
The event was divided into three 45-minute-long adult and student sessions from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Each session worked on covering things such as emotional awareness, healthy relationships, and effective communication.
Located in the gymnasium were tables showcasing resources and foundations for teenage mental health. The goal of many of these tables was to inform people of aid for teenagers in mental crises and places that can provide safe spaces for teens to be able to discover ways to boost their mental health.
“I think just by putting this on, it’s impacted a lot,” teen advisory council member of Metea Valley Gray Parli said. “We’ve brought together so many organizations and resources for people that they might not have been introduced to if we hadn’t.”
The mental health symposium also provided an opportunity to inform teenagers about foundations and resources they may not have been aware of.
“Having 40-minute sessions about different mental health topics introduces teenagers to support and resources and tools that they didn’t [know] they even needed,” Parli said.
Beautifully EmpowHERed, an organization represented at the symposium, offers a range of mental health and social support services for teenage girls and young women in the Illinois area. Marc Dunn, a representative for Beautifully EmpowHERed, shares their organization’s mission and resources.
“Our organization is aimed to help empower teen girls and adult women in the communities that we’re in,” Dunn said.
Beautifully EmpowHERed also offers specific programs for high school girls to contribute to their community and empower others.
“We actually have a program called Big Sis Little Sis, that’s one of our new mentorship programs,” Dunn said. “High school girls are volunteering, giving back to their community, by mentoring middle school-aged girls who are coming into high school to help them with that transition, and all the things about life that happen in high school.”
Events such as the mental health symposium are important in helping teenagers discover support systems and other resources in one place. These symposiums all for a wide variety of organizations to be at an individual’s disposal.
An article published by the Jed Foundation said, “In a time of greater need for mental health supports, we are seeing funding cuts that undermine the very systems we need to prevent suicide and protect the emotional health of teens and young adults.”
Without networking events like the mental health symposium, opportunities for help can be missed, and teenagers may not have the chance to access the appropriate support or resources.
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I think it’s just the action of being here and the opportunity for students to be here [which] provides it all.
— Gray Parli