September is suicide prevention month and about 20% of high school students have reported serious thoughts about suicide. With that, 9% report a suicide attempt. West High has seen the need for change. Young adults in the age range of 15–24 years old living in the U.S. have a rate of death by suicide of about 14 per 100,000 people, according to a 2019 study.
Last January, students at West High decided action needed to happen to prioritize students’ mental health. The student club, Mental Wellness Alliance (MWA), has a goal to share the resources and prioritize students’ mental health. They meet on the first and third Friday of each month at 3:00 in room 213. The adviser in charge of MWA, Kellie Knight, shares, “I am 100% behind making sure students are mentally healthy so that they can go on to be healthy adults or healthier adults.”
Mental health has been a touchy subject for years. It is a real illness and individuals should not be looked down on for recognizing that they might need help. A member of MWA and senior at West High, Brylee Weber, feels having a strong community and surrounding yourself with people who lift you up can have a major impact.
“As kids, we all just really want to belong and feel seen so making an environment that is engaging and understanding can be a great way to improve individual mental health.”
— Brylee Weber
In this new school year, the Waterloo Youth City Council made sure students knew the resources available to them. Now on all school ID badges students have access to the numbers to call, text, or chat with trained professionals if they are struggling. Whether that is thoughts of suicide, mental health, substance abuse, being bullied or any other issues they might be having.
Carol Luce, Co-Director, who helped create and form Waterloo Youth City Council, shares that the task of the badges was a 3-year process before being achieved. After the pandemic, the council wanted to focus on mental health. The council found out that representative Timmy Brown Powers was working on a bill that put mental health information on the back of student IDs and her come and speak.
In March of 2021, the Youth City Council took a trip to Des Moines with the opportunity to speak to 53 elected officials in the house to try and pass the bill that allowed the mental health information on the back of student IDs. It didn’t pass that year, but in March of 2022, they went back and had the chance to meet with 15 senators.
During that one-year gap, they spoke to local agencies and met with local High School administration. The bill was rewritten with a QR code to be more efficient so students could have quicker access. Later that day it passed 91-4 by the house. By the passing of that bill, Luce shares “it will help over half a million youth across the state of Iowa.”
Mental health is important and should never be looked down on. If you know someone who is struggling or experiencing things like mood swings, feeling hopeless, losing interest in activities, or withdrawing from friends, tell them they are not alone and help them connect with resources. Your Life Iowa is there for help.
