CALDWELL COUNTY — A few hundred students from Caldwell County Middle School attended the second ever Youth Mental Health Walk, hosted by the Pennyrile District Health Department.
The first was hosted in early May at the Lee S. Jones center in Eddyville.
The event proved to be educational and also gave students a break from testing pressure, enabling them to get active. It also allowed students to tend to their mental health and well-being.
“It was a chance for the kids to get outside, get some fresh air, and have a well-deserved break after testing,” Health Educator Taylor Koerner said. “It was a great way to end the school year as well. The staff and students were very appreciative and loved having the event. I spoke with the staff and the principal after, and everyone thought it was successful and thought the students seemed to have a fun time.”
Koerner said both events were funded by the State Aid Funding for Emergencies, or SAFE, grant, which helps cover recovery expenses from natural disasters and includes a component addressing mental health. Koerner said that if there are more opportunities in the future to apply for similar grants to help support another event in Lyon and Caldwell County, along with Crittenden, Livingston and Trigg, the Pennyrile Health Department will have another in the future.
At the end of their mental health walk, students were given 988 T‑shirts that displayed crisis hotlines on the back. The shirts were intentionally green to mark Mental Health Awareness Month in May. In addition, students received backpacks packed with various items, including information about 988 resources, which Koerner considers of vast importance for students to be aware of.
“It’s all about getting that conversation going so they feel comfortable and safe having those conversations with trusted adults, or letting a trusted adult know about a friend struggling, for example,” Koerner told the Times Leader. “Like Lyon County, the theme of this event was also about taking one step at a time, which just truly encapsulates what we have to do to get mental health to be more accepted and talked about.”
At the end of the walk, students who signed a pledge promising not to bully were given “be kind” bracelets. They were also entered into a raffle to receive a City of Eddyville pool pass and an Apple Watch.
Koerner said that since the youth are the next generation, it is important to normalize conversations surrounding mental health, which will reduce the stigma and teach them that there is nothing wrong in seeking help. She added that the event was positively received overall.
Multiple middle school students who attended told the Times Leader that the walk was hugely beneficial to them, some even sharing their own struggles and how events like this are encouraging. Many students emphasized the importance of taking care of their own mental health as well.