To be a student is to carry burden, whether it be the demanding academic standards, the pressuring parent supervision, the exclusive social circle, or perhaps all three combined. Students often walk through their middle and high school careers, bombarded by these obstacles day by day. So it is no surprise that during the year 2016, 3.1 million adolescents from the United States, aged between 12 and 17 admitted to having at least one major depressive episode (National Institute of Mental Health). However, due to the stigma placed on the idea of mental health issues, only 19% of these students were recorded to have sought out professional assistance.
The Girls Build L.A. team of Marshall Fundamental will aim to target the stigma that prevents many students from opening up about their inner emotional struggles. Under the broad topic of Health and Wellness, the team will focus on mental health and address various positive coping methods and activities that can be implemented within the school to foster a more embracing and responsive environment. Our three major action steps are awareness, intervention, and prevention.
Although mental health is only a part of the much more diverse topic of Health and Wellness, it is absolutely essential for teens, particularly in this media centered generation. The Girls Build L.A. team will strive to extend arms throughout all demographics of the school and build a solid and honest connection among students, teachers, counselors, administration members, staff members, and community members, ultimately proving that students, are in fact, stronger than the stigma.