Voices For Suicide Prevention
Voices For Suicide Prevention
Breaking Stigmas: How Young People Are Transforming Mental Health Conversations
Breaking down the walls of silence surrounding youth mental health takes courage, creativity, and compassion – qualities that shine brightly in our remarkable student guests this month.
Meet Ainslee Lloyd from Franklin High School and Aarush Mantro from St. Xavier High School, two passionate advocates serving on the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation's Youth Advisory Council. Their infectious energy and genuine commitment to helping their peers navigate mental health challenges offer a powerful glimpse into how today's youth are transforming these crucial conversations.
"Talking about mental health is kind of taboo, especially in an all-boys school," Aarush admits, reflecting on his initial hesitation before joining Sources of Strength, a nationwide prevention program implemented in Ohio schools. Both students now lead campaigns that foster belonging and connection.
The students don't shy away from tough topics, offering candid insights about substance misuse among friends seeking escape from emotional struggles and how bullying has evolved in the digital age. "It's not as obvious...it's a lot more under the radar," Ainslee explains, while Aarush notes how COVID isolation further complicated young people's ability to maintain face-to-face connections.
Their work extends beyond their schools as part of the Youth Advisory Council, where they've helped award grants to youth-led suicide prevention projects across Ohio and created "Nate," a clever mascot for the 988 crisis line with the slogan "Call Nate before it's too late."
Listen now to be inspired by these remarkable young advocates who remind us that every voice matters in suicide prevention, and even small actions can save lives.
Welcome to our July episode of Voices for Suicide Prevention. As we like to say, our conversations are real talk, real honest, real life. I'm Stephanie.
Speaker 2:Bucher, and I'm Scott Light. We are really excited for you, our listeners, to meet two students who are going to inspire us all, and Stephanie I think this is a first in having two students on the podcast.
Speaker 1:I love it.
Speaker 2:I love it too.
Speaker 1:And I want to welcome Ainsley Lloyd from Franklin High School in Warren County and Arush Mantra from St Xavier High School in Hamilton County. Welcome both of you to the show. This is so exciting and you can tell they're smiling, they're ready to go, I think just to introduce yourselves to the audience. You're both on the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation's Youth Advisory Council. You're also peer leaders for sources of strength in your schools and we'll talk a little bit about what that is and why. We'll also talk about what attracted you, both of you, to suicide prevention and mental wellness. Ainsley, do you want to get us started? What interested you in doing this type of peer support?
Speaker 3:I like to be involved in a lot of things like, especially in my school, and if it helps others. So getting to like know more about um, like suicide prevention and sources of strength, really was something I wanted to do, because, um, anything that involves being empathetic, because I'm a very empathetic person and I want to make a difference, even if it's a small difference what about you?
Speaker 4:my school just brought Source of Strength. Going to my sophomore year of high school and I got a letter saying would you be interested in joining this club? And at first I was kind of hesitant because talking about mental health is kind of taboo, especially in an all-boys school. But when I joined it and I came to the club I actually had a really fun time and I realized this is something I'm passionate about, something I like to do, and from that that's where I decided to get more involved into mental health advocacy, especially for the youth.
Speaker 2:Thank you both for that introduction. That's a great tee up for Sources, because Sources of Strength is probably known in education circles, but maybe not so much in the mainstream. So let's shine a couple of lights here. Be not so much in the mainstream, so let's shine a couple of lights here. It is led by the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, by us here at OSPF and by Prevention First, with the goal of bringing life-changing programming to as many Ohio communities as possible. This is also a national program for K-12, and it seeks to improve emotional well-being, preventing suicide, substance misuse, bullying and violence. So, arush, why don't you start us off here, maybe expand on how you started, and why do you feel like these outreach services, this programming, this advocacy? Why is this so needed right now for young people?
Speaker 4:I feel like it is really needed for young people and I see the difference in my own community, in my own school, because there's a lot of stigma around mental health, especially for the young people, and not many people want to talk about it. So when we start talking about it and start making discussions, people are a lot more open to talk about it, to bring it out there. You know we talk about like the flu or any other medical thing just so commonly, but mental health it's not as commonly talked about. I think it's very important. I think sources of strength was a very good first step, especially in schools, to start that conversation going.
Speaker 3:I completely agree with him. I would say, in my school, the campaigns we run and the things we do for our school like like getting people involved and talking about it and like a lighthearted but serious way. Because it's important to bring it up in like lighthearted ways but to make sure that they know that it's like a serious topic and I think that it's important that it's talked about because it may be uncomfortable but I think people should definitely bring it up more and feel more comfortable talking about it.
Speaker 1:I'm curious. You talk about some of the things that you're doing in your school. Can you give us an example of what you think is making an impact?
Speaker 3:I would say involvement in the school. We do campaigns where it's like we belong. So maybe if kids have a problem with feeling like they're disincluded or being like into, like feeling individualized or something they can, um, feel more close to their school and like a part of it. Or we do stuff like spring into wellness, where you have like a. We have a big courtyard at my school and we have like cornhole and like painting rocks and we have sporty things but also artsy things and it kind of brings the school together, kind of like like a big team or something.
Speaker 1:So that's pretty cool, so it's helping to make that connection. Yeah Right, yeah, and that you're not alone, that there are people there supporting you and you're finding those trusted advisors and those trusted peer support leaders.
Speaker 4:Yes, yes, ma'am.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what about you Arush?
Speaker 4:So we did a most recent campaign. So every quarter we have a campaign for our school, a different thing highlighting the source of strength of wheel, if you're familiar with that. So our most recent was fourth quarter. I was actually one of the leaders for it, so it was actually pretty fun. So what we did is we wanted to highlight trusted adults in our school community. So we did something fun. So we did a pie in the face where we had kids take a survey on who their trusted adults were and why they were trusted adults, and they got pied in the face at our end of the year celebration and then we got to say why they were trusted adults. So that way they were like highlighted for everybody to see that these are people you can come and you can talk to if you need to talk to them. And I think that was really good because it was fun, but also it brought the message across. Wow.
Speaker 2:And who doesn't like to throw pies in people's face, I know, and they must have trusted you guys as well to kind of join in that. I think that's really cool. Can I follow up with you on your specific experience at an all-boys school? And let's be honest, sometimes young boys to young men to older men don't share their feelings when it comes to mental health. Do you feel like that? That is a particular challenge.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I do. I think for sure it is a challenge, especially as teenagers and as you're growing older. People tend to say that we should keep to ourselves, we should keep our feelings to ourselves, we should just like get through it by ourselves. But I feel like sources of strength in general, just us talking about it, not even have to be like a big thing like depression, but just say I'm stressed about my homework or something like this happened at school. Just getting those little conversations starting opens the door to bigger conversations and I think that's what's really important for getting like the stigma of mental out there and allowing everyone to know it's okay to talk about it, it's good to talk about it.
Speaker 1:So another area of concern among any age group, really. But let's talk and let's focus on youth. Here is substance misuse, so give us the perspective in your words. You know from your view, your lives, your schools, regarding drugs, alcohol and young people Arush.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so for my school, I think they do a really good job with substance abuse. You know there's checks and check-ins for that and also a lot of education about that, but I do know that in a lot of environments and communities that substance use is all abused, especially in the younger, like starting as soon as middle school people are introduced to alcohol and drugs. I feel like that is a problem, a big problem. People are relying on this stuff and it might be also affecting their mental health as well. So I feel like it is a problem and we need to address it.
Speaker 3:I would say that a lot of teens in my school like they party on weekends and they drink on weekends and they use drugs on weekends, so it's like or like on holidays sometimes. So I mean some people would say that that's it's a normal teen behavior or that it should be normalized or something. But what I've noticed is that the kids who fall into depressions or have problems with their mental health whenever they want to get better, they think that using those drugs and doing that alcohol is going to help them get them out of it or forget about it, especially during school. I've seen it happen Like they start incorporating it into their week more. It starts becoming more of like a daily thing and then it's just usually like you can definitely tell on their face that it's affecting them and it's really sad.
Speaker 2:You're both painting a really good picture for us and for our listeners, about what's happening in your schools and again in your respective worlds. Let us ask you about one other one, and that's bullying. Sources of Strength also focuses on violence prevention, anti-bullying messaging. Are these messages getting through as well? Is bullying going down, you think, with your generation?
Speaker 3:I would say that it is going down, but in different ways. I feel like the term bullying gets misconstrued and people think of it as different things. So then they don't think that they're doing it or they use it for some like they say that they're being bullied and it's like they don't really get the term that well. So I would say it is not as obvious. I think that it's a lot more under the radar when it comes to bullying.
Speaker 1:And of course, you know, back in my day yes, I know I sound like I'm a dinosaur we didn't have social media. So that in and of itself can be wonderful to be connected and that kind of thing, but on the other hand it can also be a vehicle for that type of bullying if you will.
Speaker 2:Yeah, arush, you want to jump in on it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I have to agree, I feel like bullying has not as much in person like maybe how it was, you know, 20, 30 years ago, I think a lot of it is now on social media and online platforms where people are like posting pictures or spreading stuff. And especially with AI now you know, it's very easy to spread false information about people and a lot of people may just say it's like a joke, just a joke, but you don't really know how it's affecting someone, especially when you can't see how they feel in person to face. I think a lot of bullying has changed to more online, rather in person, face to face have either one of you been bullied?
Speaker 4:I haven't. I mean there's been comments about me, you know, growing up, but I've seen it and I've seen how it affects people, you know, and but me personally, I don't have any stories or anything about that.
Speaker 3:I would say like, especially being a teenage girl. Like teenage boys, they have their ways of nagging at you and making fun of the way that you look or every little thing that you do. They'll like laugh about it with their friends and stuff. But fortunately enough, I've only experienced it in like small fractions of my life. It's like not like an everyday thing. It's always like not like an everyday thing. It's always from the same people. So it's kind of just like, just kind of like whatever.
Speaker 3:They're obviously going through something, so you just gotta keep quiet and just be like, or you can look at them just like why would you say that? And then they kind of like back down. But um, I do see it like what he said. I do see it in um other Because, if you think about it, there could be people who are going through so much and school's their safe place or it's like their outlet and they don't really have an outlet in their life and they get to school and it kind of like if there's bullying, it kind of sucks because it's kind of taking that away and it's really sad.
Speaker 2:To Stephanie's point, let me ask too I'd love to follow up on the social media side of it. You know social is great for things like this and you know we'll put this podcast out on social media and for putting advocacy campaigns out there and all kinds of educational tools. But again, you know it can be anonymous because jacksmith872 at gmailcom can jump on and say anything he wants about anybody else, right? So do you think social media how would you kind of split that? Is it kind of 50% good and 50% you got to watch it? Or do you look at it as more negative or more positive? I'm just curious.
Speaker 3:When it comes to like information, it can be really good, but it also can be really bad. So I don't know if I'd say it's 50-50. It's kind of like 60-40. Like 60% of it is like bad, bad, and then 40 of it is good. Um, but you kind of just have to have to have discernment and like what you look at and what you listen to and what, who you listen to and what information you take in, and you just got to know how to hit that block button. To be honest, if somebody's being being mean, you just got to hit that block button. That's what you got to do, or report them like.
Speaker 2:It may not do that much, but if enough people see it as concerning yeah, speak up right yeah yeah, arush, how would you kind of categorize if you had to put it in numbers, like angely did?
Speaker 4:I feel like there's parts of it, but I feel like, like everything, it's a tool and it's how people use it, so it can be good or bad based on how you use it, because social media and online platform has done a lot of good but also can do a lot of bad. I feel like it's just how we use, just like anything like AI or anything else, like just anything like tool, a tool like humans have made. It can be done to do a lot of good or bad, just depending how you use it.
Speaker 1:You both have very healthy outlooks on this. I love that, and especially, ainsley, when you talk about discernment, and sometimes we have to. We have to, like, figure out what's important for us and what kind of media we're taking in. And it doesn't matter how old you are, you know. I mean you could be 50 and 60, or you could be 50 or 60. It doesn't matter, it's the same thing, right At any age. You know, we've covered some very serious topics here. Is there anything else that you think that would need more attention related to the mental wellness of students?
Speaker 3:I would say probably the like, the under the radar bullying, like the little nags at people and like the things that you say, like under your breath or something like. I feel like people could do a lot better job of like making sure that people keep to themselves a little bit. It's like if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it, and even if it's just a small comment, it could be that person's last straw and you don't want that to be your fault or you don't want that to happen to them. So it's just like you got to walk, like kind of just like, even if it's the smallest thing, just like, keep it to yourself, if it's nothing good, just don't say it.
Speaker 1:And this is one of the reasons why you and Arush are peer leaders in your school.
Speaker 4:That's awesome, Arush did you have anything else to add? Yeah, I feel like going back to social media and everything. I feel like a lot of people, especially people my age and younger, are so used to texting and social media and digital world that they lose that face-to-face connection, and especially because of COVID as well, where, like growing up, we were like locked in our house for two, three years. We didn't get that face-to-face connection where, like eye contact and stuff like that. So growing up I had to, you know, make extra like cautious to learn those things. Have a face-to-face connection where I feel like, you know, my parents didn't have to, you know, try as hard because all their connection was face-to-face talking to people, but for us it's all social media and then COVID as well, kind of just everything digital. So the big part of it is just human connection.
Speaker 2:Let's come back to your connections with us here at OSPF. You are, as we mentioned, part of the Youth Advisory Council. You met for the first time earlier this year with 18 other Advisory Council members, and there was a big item on the agenda and it was to review grant applications for student-led suicide prevention projects. Why did you want to get involved in this way with this council?
Speaker 3:I wanted to get involved with this council because I'm also involved in the Middletown Community Foundation Youth Council and I really, really enjoy that and I'm involved in Sources of Strength, so it was like the best of both worlds kind of. So I really liked doing it and I'm glad that I did.
Speaker 4:Yeah. So my teacher sent me a link to look at this organization. I was like, wow, this is really cool Because I get to connect with people from all over the state who have the same goal, but diverse, with different opinions, different backgrounds, different thoughts. We kind of share ideas, talk to each other a lot about different ways to help people in need, and it was a really nice experience and I feel like that was very beneficial that I could bring back to my own community as well. I feel like that would really be beneficial to me.
Speaker 1:And the Youth Advisory Council. You know, obviously you both are from the southwest part of Ohio, but I mean the other council members came from all over the state of Ohio. What was it like for that first meeting and being able to do that face to face and meeting those other council members?
Speaker 4:It was great. I got to hear a lot of different things that people do at different schools that we don't do at my own school lot of different things that people do at different schools that we don't do at my own school and I got to come back and tell my teacher about it. I got to hear different ideas from other people who have different experiences from me. You know something that I never experienced going to an all-boys school, a private school, for someone who goes to a public school. We have different experiences and we'll see different things, so I got to share with each other what we saw and it was a really nice experience overall.
Speaker 3:I do agree. Like getting to know everybody's different, like campaigns and things that they did for their sources of strength, and like getting ideas and bringing it back to my teacher was really important and meeting all the people. I think that was like that was so cool. Like I made so many friends, like we followed each other on Instagram. That's great, awesome. Yeah, that's great. Like I made so many friends, like we followed each other on Instagram.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's great, awesome, yeah, that's great. During your conversation that you had with when the Youth Advisory Council was together, in addition to selecting eight projects that each received $7,500 in grants, which is awesome, so they can continue that youth-led suicide prevention in their area, you also worked on some ideas as well, kind of your own youth-led, youth-focused 988 campaign, and you came up with a very clever mascot and you had some great ideas. Could one of you tell us a little bit about who Nate is? Do you remember?
Speaker 3:Nate during those conversations. He's like an animated clock. Okay, I'm going to tell you what I remember, because a lot of the people who were next to me were kind of going crazy about it. It was like there were ideas flying everywhere. But he's an animated clock whose name is Nate, which is like 988, because it's like Nate. You know, that's great. It's like call Nate before it's too late. So it kind of has a ring to it and they put like a little face on him and he's really cool. So I thought it was a good idea. It's fun.
Speaker 4:Evie gave us some time just brainstorm ideas and Nate the mascot was one of the ideas people came up with and I thought it was really fun and cool yeah.
Speaker 1:And you're talking about our very own Evie Roberts, who is our youth program manager, and she is awesome and she led that conversation during that day. So that's great and we're hoping that what we'll be able to do, because this is such a great idea that we're going to hear more about NAIT and this campaign throughout the state of Ohio. So more to come on that. I think that's awesome.
Speaker 2:One of the things that you both have mentioned and you just exude here is strength and confidence, and we say around here that getting help for your mental health is a sign of strength. Arush, you were talking about this earlier. It shouldn't be a taboo subject, right? Do you think that your generation the fact that you are talking more loudly, coming to podcasts and putting things out on social media, joining these campaigns, joining these councils do you think it'll be your generation of young people that will really push through?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think we're in the right direction. For sure, I feel like Source of Strength was a big, big thing for a lot of schools. That came and got that conversation going for teens and youth and high schoolers and even when we were doing those grants we saw it was coming to elementary school as well, who was really cool. I feel like getting that conversation going was the big part of it and I feel like we'll get conversation about mental health going and people talking about it. Hopefully we can help people who need it.
Speaker 3:I'd say, even if it isn't our generation, hopefully we get the next generation ready, you know, hopefully we put the best foot forward.
Speaker 2:As we start to kind of round the corner of the conversation. We always want to leave our listeners with hope, with positivity, because, let's face it, what we do here at OSPF, these are heavy subjects, right. What gives both of you hope?
Speaker 3:of you hope. What gives me hope when talking about these stigmas and stuff is, like you, it's better to bring it to light than to not say anything, and for some people you bringing it to light is exactly what they need. And you just need to kind of put the word out there like address the elephant in the room and that's like probably the most important thing about it is just remembering that you helping get through this and you talking about it is helping somebody else get through this.
Speaker 4:I have to agree. I feel like that gives me hope. It's just everybody, like young people in my school, across the state, across the country, even just starting to talk about it, getting that conversation out there. I feel like that gives me hope for a future where this mental health is not something that people feel taboo to talk about. It's something that we can openly talk about and help each other with.
Speaker 1:Well, I don't want to sound like your parent or your grandparent in my case. I don't want to sound like your parent or your grandparent in my case, but we'd love to know a little bit more about you, know what you see, both going into your senior year, and then what happens after that. Ainsley, do you have some plans coming up?
Speaker 3:Well, after my senior year I plan on going to college. I don't know if I want to do psychology or digital media arts yet I'm still trying to figure it out, but hopefully, yeah. If I want to do psychology or digital media arts yet I'm still trying to figure it out, but hopefully, yeah, I still have time. But because I really like doing like the mental health stuff and I feel like psychology like ties into that, but I also like digital media arts, so I'm just trying to. But after that, then hopefully I'll know, mostly you got time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you got plenty of time.
Speaker 4:Yeah. So ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to make a difference in what I do. I want to make an impact on the world, and I feel like the best way for me to do that was to become a doctor. So I want to go to college pre-med Hopefully that works out and become a doctor. I don't know what exact type of doctor I want to be yet Maybe a mental health doctor, you know? Yeah, so that's what I want to do.
Speaker 2:Stephanie, we need to have more students on this podcast, because you and I and, of course, both of these young people, we've all been smiling throughout this, but I'm just so encouraged by them I'm motivated by them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and each of us can learn from each other, right? I don't know everything, but I can learn from you and be able to take that and grow myself, and I hope that other people have that opportunity as well. So, yes, I agree, scott, we need to have more youth voices on here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this has just been fantastic. Any closing thoughts and again, no pressure. But if there are any closing thoughts that you'd like to leave our listeners with when it comes to mental health and suicide prevention, I would say that your voice matters, even if it's just texting a friend about 988 or whatever.
Speaker 4:it is just something little can really make a big difference. You know, if a lot of people just start talking about it or just talking about 98 or just texting a friend hey, listen to this podcast it can make a really big difference. So your voice matters and if you get out there it can make a huge difference more than you can know.
Speaker 3:And call Nate before it's too late.
Speaker 2:Getting in that marketing messaging already.
Speaker 1:We're going to have t-shirts made soon. That's great.
Speaker 2:Ainsley and Arush. Thank you both for joining us, for being difference makers, for being those positive leaders out there and you know what? Just being good humans, it just absolutely matters. The work that you and many others do for youth suicide prevention is a true lifesaver.
Speaker 1:And, of course, to our listeners. We thank you as well. When you listen to our episodes, you break stigmas, break barriers and you care about mental health and saving lives. This is Voices for Suicide Prevention, brought to you by the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation.