Local Leaders Discuss Mental Health Among Youth

By GRACIE LEAVITT

The Progress

A group of about two dozen local leaders met on Tuesday, Aug. 3, at the Overton Community Center to discuss how to increase mental health awareness in the community, specifically among local youth.
Mental illness has been noted as the second epidemic during the extended COVID-19 restrictions. Many families are struggling financially. Many people, especially young people have suffered from not being close to others and from losing loved ones.

Tuesday’s town hall meeting focused on how these things have affected the youth in the community and what could be done by adults to help.

Introduced at the meeting was a new youth leadership groupcalled the Teen Leadership Corps (TLC). This group of local youth is being advised and coordinated by local 4-H leader Dianna Walker.

At the meeting, Walker explained that she had seen significant success with a similar group of youth leaders during the 2020-21 pandemic school year.

“In my role as 4-H agent, I was able to work with an amazing group of students who saw certain needs in their peer group,” Walker said. “They planned activities that would help increase the mental health and the lives of youth in our area, especially during the quarantine. All the logistics of these activities were planned by the kids. Then they had the support of an amazing parent group who helped them to execute the plans”

Walker said that her hopes for TLC was to further empower local youth and restore their voice in difficult times. “I want these kids to understand their personal power in their community,” Walker said.

Walker said that she also wanted local teenagers to learn that it is helpful and positive to ask adults for help. “This is a crucial skill for them to have,” she said. “It has been interesting to watch kids gain their confidence with adults.”

Members of the TLC then gave a brief presentation at the meeting. MVHS senior Gracie Leavitt, sophomore Laci Hillstead and freshman Faith Kelly worked together in presenting information about upcoming community events being planned by TLC in support of increasing mental health awareness in the community.

Top among these is a Mental Health Resource Fair being planned for Thursday, September 9 at the Logandale Fairgrounds. In this all-community event, the Moapa Valley Community Education Advisory Board (MVCEAB) is teaming up with several other local organizations to bring world-renowned guest speaker Kevin Hines to Moapa Valley.

Hines is an award-winning suicide prevention activist who, at the age of 19, attempted to take his ownlife by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Hines now dedicates his time to encouraging others to seek help and spreading a message of hope to those who may feel there is none.

The Mental Health Resource Fair will be free to the public and will also feature an expo-like environment highlighting the many mental health resources available to the residents of the local communities.

A variety of activities will be available for kids including bounce houses and little games that are designed to help connect people together. All of these activities will be planned and carried out by the TLC group.

In addition, a family dinner will be provided at the event by the MV Rotary Club. All of the community is invited.

The Mental Health Resource Fair is being paid in large part by grants and other private donations. But the group is still needing to raise about $8,000 to pay additional expenses.

So the TLC group is planning fundraisers to help pay the expenses of the upcoming event. These were presented by the three girls at the meeting.

A 5k Fun Run fundraiser will be held on Saturday, August 14 beginning at 7 am in the Grant Bowler Elementary School parking lot. Entry fees will be $5 per person or $20 per family. Prizes will be given to winners of several age divisions including K-5th grade, 6-8 grades, 9-12 grades and adult.

Another fundraiser event will be a community art exhibit. This exhibit is open to all ages and styles of art. Entries may include any artwork done while in quarantine or any other new work.
Artwork may be submitted to any of the local school administrative offices. Photos can be sent to diannaw@unr.edu. Entries should include artist’s name, age and grade as well as a phone number for contact after the event.

All of the art will be on display at two different community events. Artworks may be submitted and will be exhibited at the MV Boosters Sports Kickoff on Tuesday, Aug. 17. And the final exhibit will be at the Mental Health Resource Fair Gallery on Sept. 9.

The deadline for submission is Aug. 14. Multiple submissions are acceptable.

After the presentation, Moapa Valley Rotary Club President Suzy Bennett praised the three girls and their display of leadership.

“I think there is more power in TLC than in the rest of the committee,” Bennett said. “Three young women with the same goals have the ability to make changes where the changes are needed. Where adults plan to plan, you girls will be on the ground doing the work.”

The TLC group currently has 6 members. More students are being invited to join in the effort for a great cause.

“Our target is those kids that may not be running for student council at school but still want to help,” Walker said. “We will take any kids who want to make a difference.”