Wylie High Student Support Advocates Spread Awareness
9/19/2022The student support advocates at Wylie High School wanted to bring awareness to Suicide Prevention Month. They hosted a table during lunches last week with information and activities for students.
Student support advocates were available to provide information from To Write Love on Her Arms, a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.
Clear plastic cups lined the center of the table. Students were asked to drop a bean in any of the cups with statements that they could relate to.
Visitors to the table placed beans in cups labeled with statements pertaining to their own lives. This was a visual representation of struggles others go through as well.
The student support advocates were glad to see that the cups with more positive messages had the most beans.
From “you feel pressure to always get good grades,” to more positive statements like “you get excited when you think about life 10 years from now,” the cups were a visual representation to show students that they are not alone in their struggles.
Lots of students participated in the different activities. “We want them to know that it’s okay to talk about mental health and we’re ready and willing to talk to them,” Dr. April Miller said.
“It illustrates that other kids have gone through those same things,” Student Support Advocate Lori Chapman said. “They’ve been very interested in the bean activity. It’s a great way to start conversations about mental health.”
Students passing by their table were encouraged to write what they “needed to hear” or “what they wish they could say” on a sticky note to display for others to see, another indicator that they are not alone in their struggles.
Sticky notes with hand-written statements were another visual display that students are not alone in their struggles.
This was the first year the student support advocates hosted a table during Suicide Prevention Month. Due to the amount of students stopping by and visiting with them, they plan to do it again next year.
“Our hope is that if kids keep seeing this year after year, they’ll remember that it is Suicide Prevention Month,” Student Support Advocate Dr. April Miller said. “We want them to know that it’s okay to talk about mental health and we’re ready and willing to talk to them.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, reach out to the student support advocates or call or text 988, the new three-digit dialing code to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.