High school mental health clubs let stressed students know they’re not crazy, not alone
Nearly the entire first year of Dzifa Ackuayi’s high school experience was through distance learning. Transitioning to in-person classes, the Modesto High sophomore said, has been stressful, overwhelming and “a bit awkward.” It hasn’t been easy, either, for students who started high school traditionally, were thrust into learning from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic and now are returning to campuses.
On top of upended routines, students report feeling nervous they’re behind academically and apprehensive about their safety because of the spread of the delta variant. After a more than a year of trauma and stress provoked by distance learning, the adjustment back to school can take a further toll on students’ mental health.
Ackuayi is one of several students across Stanislaus County who are leading mental health awareness clubs at 15 high schools to show peers they’re supported, they’re not alone and they’re not “crazy,” she said.
“Everyone’s going through this,” Ackuayi said.
The clubs are chapters of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. They began during the 2020-21 school year and their goal is to reduce stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness on campuses.
They’re funded through a five-year grant of nearly $1 million and coordinated through the Stanislaus County Office of Education. More than 350 students across the county participated virtually during the last school year, said Kym Barber, youth programs coordinator for the county education office. Now, the students can gather in person.
The grant pays for administration, communitywide events and yearly stipends of $2,000 to $3,000 for each club. Barber coordinates monthly educational themes with teacher advisers, and they meet to brainstorm activities.
Four chapters are new this school year. Barber said she made a point to expand the clubs to schools outside Modesto, including Oakdale and Waterford, to alert students to family resource centers, parent resource centers and clinicians in their communities.
“Those resources aren’t necessarily there,” Barber said. “And if they are there, the students aren’t aware of them.”
Peer education, support
At the Turlock High School chapter, students have created presentations on topics such as the difference between mental health and mental illness and how to recognize when a friend is struggling, senior Finn Ceja said.
Over Zoom, students sought to engage their peers by using minimal words per slide and discussing experiences specific to young people.
“I have been to countless meetings, and I can tell the difference between something that was created by an adult towards the student and something that was created from student to student,” said Ceja, who is the founder and president of the club at his school.
Turlock students have led role-playing activities for various situations related to mental health, like how to talk to parents who use insensitive language and how to react to friends who aren’t showing interest in things that usually would captivate them, Ceja said.
A better understanding of mental health could drive students to seek help when needed, and can help them feel less alone — compelling goals as young people report high levels of isolation, anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I genuinely think that it could save someone’s life,” Ceja said.
He prefaces club meetings by saying things like “Some of you might be struggling, and I understand that feeling, even though I don’t know exactly what you’re going through. I’ve been in positions similar.”
Clubs are open to all students
NAMI clubs aren’t limited to people with mental illness and mental health issues — a popular misconception Ceja encounters. They’re open to students affected by mental illness within their families, students who do not struggle with their mental health, and those who don’t know if they do.
Modesto High School senior Melanie Gonzalez said she joined her school’s NAMI club because she knows many students on campus struggle with mental health and she wants to learn how to help others. She hopes to be able to empathize more with her classmates who have mental illnesses, she said.
Citlait Alvarez, a sophomore at Modesto High School, said NAMI piqued her interest because she aspires to be a psychologist and wants to help people. Last year, she said she learned tips on how to deal with stress: Take breaks, drink water and breathe.
People on campus often joke about mental health, Alvarez said, but “no one actually wants to talk about it.”
Selorna Ackuayi, who founded Modesto High School’s NAMI club and graduated in May, said she hopes the club grows its campus presence so much that even incoming freshmen know about it. That will help mental health issues become embedded in daily conversation and normalized among the student body, she said.
“Speaking to peers can make it seem more real,” Ackuayi said.
Families can find out if their school has a NAMI on Campus club through the Stanislaus County Office of Education’s website. Contact club leadership or school leadership to get involved.
This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
