Studies show that 10% of children and young people (aged 5-16 years) have a clinically diagnosable mental health problem, yet 70% of children and adolescents who experience mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age.
There are stories untold beyond the grasp of a persons willingness to understand, as well as any individuals capacity to empathize to the point of not equating the other persons pain to theirs. It becomes problematic in spaces where insecurity and scrutiny are equated to relevance and societal acceptance, but neither one or the four can live separate from each other in a quiet mental environment. How Goes That?
We live in a very egotistical world that masks pain with smiles and relates likes to liking. How can a person that feels insurmountable pain, frustration, and feels alone and lost, communicate in a world where you are only as heard as you are relevant? We occupy spaces where talking about our feelings are looked down upon and deemed less than. The sound of our voice is what we turn to and still, pain persist, and an impediment to that pain seems like a viable option, no matter the options. There has to be a safe space for youth to feel comfortable and not judged, know they are heard, and see a positive outcome from what a healthy love of self can result in, despite their fear of expression. Studies show that there are four categories of interventions to improve mental
health literacy: whole-of-community campaigns; community
campaigns aimed at a youth audience; school-based
interventions teaching help-seeking skills, mental health
literacy, or resilience; and programs training individuals to
better intervene in a mental health crisis.
As a youth based non-profit organization, BALSA, in partnership with Social Society U, created an organized and structured lively and interactive panel discussion about the angst and stress adolescents face and shy away from discussing. The Discussion will hit on topics such as anxiety, depression, self-esteem, social media, peer pressure, but will also utilize music and popular trending youth topics to make the conversation appealing, engaging and interactive. The Discussion will serve as a platform for youth to surrender their pinned up aggressions in a peer to peer environment with professionals from the music industry, corporate america, and pro athletes alike.
So how can we create a mental visual environment that serves as an outward stress release from reality? Provide hope, a sound board of acceptance, and faces that made it through the storms of life. I think that’s a start for healing.
-Don’t Just Exist, LIVE AND MAKE LIGHT…