A simple google search - let’s just say, out of curiosity you want to know what’s been going on with….MENTAL HEALTH as it relates to youth, the search engine proceeds to populate hundreds of articles pertaining to this topic.
Articles titled: “Why 2021 was a bad year for mental health.” or “How mental health conditions can raise awareness.”
More recently it was brought to our attention: U.S. Surgeon General Issues Advisory on Youth Mental Health Crisis Further Exposed by COVID-19 Pandemic.
According to United Way Los Angeles - student mental health cannot be ignored. 42% of all students surveyed in 2021 listed mental wellness as a top priority, and focus group data illuminate just how much of a non- negotiable mental wellness is for scholastic success--in fact, many view it as a prerequisite to academic success. This is especially concerning as 1/3 of BIPOC students in the survey do not agree that they have an adult at school that they feel safe enough to talk to about how they are feeling.
Throughout the pandemic, students were largely missing from ongoing conversations that most directly impacted them. We needed to learn, from students themselves, what circumstances they were facing and what they needed to be prepared to return to school.
This is problem and we need to roll our sleeves up and provide solutions, services and safe spaces for youth to be able to rely on. The demands of the pandemic, academics, home life and for many, work, we have to turn this around, together as a community, as a nation.
Mental Health is real and its affecting our babies in the world.