LOS ANGELES (KABC) — While the prevalence of mental health problems among young people is difficult to measure, studies have found that nearly half of high school students experience persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
Youth Creating Change believes that young people sharing their mental health stories is a way to provide encouragement and connection, and their signature program, the Directing Change Film competition, recently recognized student-made films that expressed the filmmaker’s perspective on mental health and suicide prevention.
“Young people are making these films on iPhones with limited technology and coming up with real projects to reach out to their peers who are feeling down or depressed, and their projects are incredible,” said Jana Schersputowski, co-founder of Youth Creating Change.
Youth Creating Change partners with schools across the state throughout the year, providing curriculum, training and outreach to keep young people centered on their own well-being.
The program had a positive impact on the school climate and increased students’ willingness to talk about important health issues.
“It’s taught me not only how to interact with people who have mental illness, but also how to open up and ask for help if I’m struggling with mental illness myself,” Jayden McKnight, a junior at Highland Park High School, said of his experience.
Stan Collins, co-founder of Youth Creating Change, added: “Let’s normalize conversations about small hurts so they aren’t swept under the rug or hidden in the closet until they become explosive.”
Reggie Hernandez is a senior at Highland Park High School whose film was selected as an honorable mention out of 1,300 submitted from across the state for a teen-run project focused on destigmatizing mental illness.
“It really brings their voices to life, and I think it’s important for us adults to sometimes take a step back and listen to what the young people have to say about their struggles, rather than us trying to explain it to them because adults often miss the point,” Principal Eileen Narvaez said.
Hernandez added what she hopes audiences take away from the film: “I hope people learn that it’s okay to speak up about personal issues and what’s going on in your mind. And it’s not crazy to talk about it. It’s not just a voice in the wind. We hear you and we’re here for you.”
At the peak of the COVID pandemic, youth mental health was a topic that many adults were talking about openly… but now that the masks are gone, Youth Creating Change knows that now more than ever, it’s important to make sure no teenager feels alone.
“We got the message out that young people’s mental health is important and they believed us – now we need to put it into action and keep going,” Collins said.
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