By Madeline Ball
Middle and high school come at a difficult time of life — the teenage years.
Everyone can remember the struggle to fit in and the stress of school and extracurricular activities.
In recent years, with the introduction of social media, high school has become even more difficult. Many students have begun to struggle with their mental health, with one in five under 18 reporting that they have experienced anxiety or depression.
The Rye City schools have come up with a program called Peer to Peer, which combats the stigma around mental health and encourages students to find the help they need.
Sponsored and introduced by the Rye Youth Council, Peer to Peer is primarily a student-run organization created to raise awareness around mental health.
The program spans both Rye middle and high schools, and is overseen by faculty advisors. Peer to Peer is intended to address one of the biggest contributors to youth mental health issues: lack of knowledge.
Parents often write off their child’s illness as “teenage behavior” or “being dramatic,” even though their teen might be struggling. Many students struggle both with mental health and with finding the help they need. They may feel overwhelmed by school and extracurriculars, but may not be able to identify their problem as a serious mental health struggle even if it is.
Peer to Peer teaches students how to tell if someone needs help and how they can find that help both inside and outside of school. The program works both with students who reach out for help themselves, and with those who may be struggling and have been identified by peer-to-peer group members.
Peer-to-peer members don’t actually counsel other students.
Though peer-to-peer members are trained by faculty at the University of Michigan, they are only taught how to appropriately approach the topic of mental health and get someone the help they need. All medical assistance is provided by the professionals who meet with student peer-to-peer members bimonthly to discuss their experiences and offer advice.
As a student member of peer to peer, I have been able to recognize signs that a peer is struggling and identify the right way to approach them and offer my help.
The club motto, “Don’t hesitate, just communicate” summarizes the core message of the club.
We are taught not to wait to start a discussion about youth mental health and to make sure that everyone, especially young people, get the medical attention they need.
Madeline Ball is a ninth grader at Rye High School.
