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Jinelle Lebron and her peers spent Tuesday learning about the importance of mental health and the factors that may suggest a student is not okay.
“I think teens can feel lonely,” said Lebron, a sophomore at American History High School, during a group discussion about mental health struggles.
“Or,” she added, “someone might feel like they’re not being heard.”
Lebron was one of 204 Newark Public Schools mental health ambassadors in grades 9 through 11 who took part in a football-themed youth mental health summit that provided participants with a playbook of strategies to tackle mental health challenges for themselves and their peers. The summit also served as training for the students who will plan, develop, and facilitate mental health campaigns at district high schools in May.
The mental health conference, hosted by the district’s Office of Student Life, was held at Montclair State University, where students were greeted by green and white balloons and football centerpieces at their tables to reflect the theme: “Building your mental health playbook.” Students also received swag bags containing stress balls, notebooks, pens, books, and pamphlets that could be used for their campaigns in May.
Students heard from district social workers, therapists, and three NFL football players, including Jahan Dotson, wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, and Tony Richardson, former running back for the New York Jets, who talked about their mental health journeys and challenges they’ve overcome. Speakers guided students through discussions about mental health struggles, the signs that may suggest friends might not be okay, and where to go when you need support.
Jeremiah Brown, keynote speaker for the event and former safety for the Jacksonville Jaguars, talked about the life-threatening brain injury that forced him to retire from the NFL. He guided students through a brainstorming session about mental health challenges and encouraged them to create solutions.
“I’m here because of the support I received because I thought this world would be way better without me,” Brown told students on Tuesday.
Mental health problems among youth were on the rise before COVID, but spiked during the pandemic. Teens also reported feeling disconnected as the pandemic disrupted student learning and limited access to their friends, school-based social services, and after-school activities such as sports and clubs.
But there are signs that students are slowly recovering. Last August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data highlighting improvements in mental health among teens, including decreases in the percentage of students feeling persistently sad or hopeless. The report also highlighted concerns about increases in the percentage of teens reporting experiences of school-based violence and absenteeism due to safety concerns.
Jahi Gordon, a mental health educator at The Jed Foundation and presenter at Tuesday’s mental health summit, encouraged students to prioritize their mental health, even if they feel okay, and asked them to spread awareness in their schools. Gordon said 4 in 10 high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2023, and 42% of teens ages 13 to 17 did not ask adults for help.
“We have to remove the negative stigmas around mental health and mental health conversations,” said Gordon on Tuesday.
High school students with depression are two times more likely to drop out in comparison to their peers, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness New Jersey. The organization also found that across the state, 61.4% of youth ages 12-17 who have depression did not receive any care in the last year.
Kai-Lan Osorio-Rodriguez, a sophomore at American History High School who was part of the discussion group with Lebron, agreed that it’s important to raise awareness about mental health struggles, but it’s more important to have someone to talk to.
“Normally, teenagers dwell on the past and the stuff that’s happened to them, and they let it affect them, and they kind of make it their whole, like, vibe and personality, instead of just letting it go or talking to someone,” Osorio-Rodriguez said.
In 2023, Newark Public Schools received an $8.9 million federal grant to implement mental health programs. Through the grant, the district committed to hiring mental health coordinators, counselors, and social workers and expanding existing school-based social-emotional programs. The district is also working with the New Jersey Department of Education, the state’s mental health agency, and the city’s community mental health agencies to establish a tiered system of mental health support over the next five years.
District staff at Tuesday’s summit also provided students with a suite of resources to help students maintain their mental health, including Gaggle, an app used to connect with therapists virtually, and Erika’s Lighthouse RECHARGE program, an online tool that helps students cope with daily struggles.
Isabella Crespo, a sophomore at American History High School who participated in Tuesday’s summit, said she faced mental health struggles last year. The conversations with her peers during the summit helped deepen her understanding of how to support her friends in times of crisis.
“I think that mental health is something that impacts kids a lot and that they don’t really like to talk about,” Crespo said. “So I feel like it’s very important to have kids be able to come to you and be like, hey, like, I’m going through this.”
Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.
