LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — When it comes to youth mental health, sometimes the best experts are young people themselves. Students at Advanced Technologies Academy in the north Las Vegas valley created short films demonstrating the ways teens experience mental health struggles.
“Young people need a seat at the table, and they should be a part of the conversations for the decisions that are made about them,” Brenna Hardtner with Youth Move Nevada said.
Her organization, which brings young people together to advocate for themselves, was at Friday’s award ceremony for the “My Voice Matters” contest.
The goal of the contest is to give teens the opportunity to show their mental health challenges through their own lens. For example, showing how ADHD can affect school life, or how stress can lead to a panic attack while studying.
Trinh Dang-Mai with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Southern Nevada said in a world with social media and constant tech use, conversations with today’s teens are different.
“What they’re going through today, I didn’t have to experience,” she said. “So to be able to see and hear what they’re going through can help us get one step closer to potentially getting, finding a solution.”
Mental Health America ranks Nevada last in the nation for youth mental health. Experts say there is not enough access to support services for young people.
Janna Velasco’s organization, Hope Means Nevada, is working to address the situation, but she said conversations also need to happen at home.
“It’s kind of innate in us to want to shy away from having these conversations, but just start having the conversations with your youth and keep it up, because it just becomes more natural, and it’s really, truly healing and connective,” Velasco said.
To view the student’s videos, click here.
