WE 365: Youth Voices on Mental Health

Mental Health is the topic for WE 365: Youth Voices on May 30, and we’ll hear from Kaitlin Price, a rising senior at Central High School, who featured in a Student Impact Story at WE Day Kentucky 2020 Online.

“What We Don’t Need in the Midst of Struggle is Shame for being human” – Brene Brown

I am passionate about defeating the stigma around Mental and Emotional health in Children, Teens and young Adults. I started a program at Central High School called M.E.M.E, which stands for Mental Emotional Mindful Encouragement. The purpose of this program is to create a safe space through games,food and fun. Mental illnesses vary from depression , anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.The most common and neglected mental illness being Depression. Depression can have many causes such as, Bullying, trauma, abuse, neglect, grief, stress, lack of social support and many more. Almost anything that can make you have a negative body image, feel unwanted or overwork you can cause depression.

In order to work through any mental illness you have to be open to saying you have one and then you have to get help. Mental illnesses are a hard subject to talk about if you are not educated or open-minded. The steps M.E.M.E uses to help individuals through mental illnesses are not standard methods. We believe that Sometimes you need to relieve stress by laughing,making new friends, eating a meal that was prepared with love, playing a game or taking you back to a time you were happy, that is M.E.M.E’s goal. We create a space similar to when you started school in kindergarten, when you took naps, played games and ate snacks it’s a fun creative space. In order to defeat your mental illness you have to stop it from snuffing out the light that shines bright in you. Your mental health is a priority but it’s okay to not be okay !  – Kaitlin Price, Central High School, Class of 2021