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Pandemic brought greater urgency to these seniors' mental health mission in Whatcom County

Bellingham Herald - 11/3/2020

Nov. 3--A mental health club at Ferndale High School has been connecting students with resources amid the pandemic.

Sophia Wilson, a 17-year-old senior, has been spearheading the social media outreach for the club ever since her school transitioned to remote learning.

"COVID hit and we realized, you know, we have to do something, because... this is an unprecedented situation and people are very anxious about it," Wilson said. "So, it was at that point that we started running the Instagram and started gathering those resource pages together and putting those out for students."

As president and co-founder, Wilson has shared mental health-related resources and tips on the club's Facebook and Instagram pages. The club also meets remotely every Wednesday to offer peer support to students, plan community events and devise outreach strategies. She added the pandemic has greater a greater need for these efforts.

"It's just continued on for longer than anybody really expected, which has taken a huge toll," Wilson said of the COVID-19 pandemic. "And then (there's) all of this stress with school just being online and then I know people are anxious about the election and everything that's just going on."

Mental health awareness

Wilson co-founded the club with Tyrel Duckworth, also a 17-year old senior, about a year ago. The idea for the club arose as they planned an assembly to raise awareness for mental health, Wilson said.

"We both were in (a school leadership program), we both had that mindset that we wanted to do something for our school," Duckworth said. "We kind of came together, we both had the same motivation and we both had the same goals."

With the help of student assistance professional Kelsey Ottum, the two devised ways to share resources and reduce the stigma around mental health. Ottum said Wilson demonstrated a drive to help her fellow students.

"She had talked to me a few times... about students she was concerned about, just friends of hers and being able to get them help and support," Ottum said. "She got together with Tyrel Duckworth and it just naturally happened to create the club."

Part of that drive came about from Wilson's own struggles with mental health. She said that experience had given her insight into what her others may be feeling and drove her to help them.

"I realized, hey, because I've been through a tough time maybe I can help other people through a tough time," Wilson said.

Duckworth said they initially wanted to bring a student-centric approach to destigmatizing mental health through events and peer support. However, he added the pandemic brought greater urgency to that mission.

"This year, what really inspires our continual movement is because there is a dire need for it," Duckworth said. "Like, there's a lot of students that just don't have that foundation that they usually would have in a normal school year, and so to provide help for them in any way has really been our goal."

Connecting with resources

Ottum said she thinks Wilson's leadership on mental health has inspired some students and may have even saved a life.

Over the summer, Ottum said Wilson spoke to her about a concerning social media post from one of her friends. That interaction led them to connect that person with the resources they needed.

"That person was actually in a really dire state and that moment saved that kid's life," Ottum said. "They got the help that they need and everything like that, and it was really Sophia just being a part of this and looking out for people she doesn't even talk to on a regular basis. And that's just the kind of person that she is."

When they planned the mental health assembly last year, Wilson said she heard from one of her teachers that the assembly had an emotional impact.

"He told me that there was someone who was really moved by it, moved to tears, because she was so, so happy in fact that we were talking about this topic," Wilson said. "She was so glad that such an important thing was being discussed."

Duckworth said he has been actively inviting people to air out their feelings during club meetings. He added he thinks that kind of relaxed environment has been positive for students.

"At first it's a little bit scary, but pretty soon the barrier, the wall up in front of them is kind of gone, and they can talk about their feelings freely, because it's not class anymore," Duckworth said.

However, Duckworth said remote learning has made it harder to connect with students. Though they still hold zoom meetings, Duckworth said he has noticed participation decline compared to before the pandemic.

"From what I've heard from a lot of teachers is that a lot of students are just kind of hands off from school right now," Duckworth said. "So, to get them to come to the club is also kind of difficult sometimes."

Duckworth said before the pandemic they had about a dozen students attend each meeting but nowadays their zoom meetings attract about one to three students. However, he added they tend to get a different person each week.

Ottum acknowledged that it's harder to reach people remotely but added that Wilson and she have been very active in posting content to their social media pages.

Ottum said the club is already planning virtual zoom meetings where anyone in the community can learn about locally available support services. She added Wilson and Duckworth have worked well together despite all the layers of stress during their senior year.

"I'm really sad they're seniors because I want to keep them forever," Ottum said. "They're amazing. I am so impressed with the knowledge and the care and the empathy that these kids have. I could not have done any of this without either of them."

If you are in need of immediate help you call the Compass Health Crisis Care Line at 800-584-3578 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. For treatment options, you can call Compass Health at 360-676-2220 or Sea Mar at 360-734-5458.

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