Students
We are aware the adults running this aren’t cool anymore, which is why we always let the kids speak to other kids. Young adults and teenagers have more experience then most older folks think. Here is your opportunity to share how you’ve dealt with the pandemic, being isolated, depressed, talk about the new things you’ve discovered while not in school, or just show off your best TikTok moves. Most of all we want you to share your stories of positivity in tough times. You may have heard a story that uplifted you while you were down, be that person to a stranger. Your stories of perseverance will never be ridiculed here, only praised. Now let’s navigate this crazy world together!
Zori’s Plea for Suicide Prevention
Zori Schiffman shares this heartfelt message to anyone thinking about suicide. If you or someone you know is having a hard time with loss, depression and need help. There are resources. Click to learn more!
Mental Health Resources
An Online Directory for Students, Parents, and Educators
Finding the right resources for those who need mental health treatment can make all the difference. The Recovery Village, a treatment center in Columbus, Ohio, has compiled a superb guide of resources for those who are battling depression and mental health issues in general. The guide contains sections specific to men, women, children and youth, and military veterans. The URL is: https://www.columbusrecoverycenter.com/depression-resource-guide/
On a related note, the Web site suicidepreventionlifeline.org has wishes would remind the public of the following information:
988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. While some areas may be currently able to connect to the Lifeline by dialing 988, this dialing code will be available to everyone across the United States starting on July 16, 2022.
When people call, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, understand how their problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary.
The current Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis, even after 988 is launched nationally.
More information is available online at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/current-events/the-lifeline-and-988/
You aren’t alone in feeling depressed, anxious, lost, alone, or just sad. 1, 2 or 10 bad days in life happen sometimes, but each new day can change that pattern.
Finding and talking to others who have gone thru similar trials can help show you a path to help.
Click the link for many great resources.
THREE POINT SHOT!
For most of his 32 years, five-time All-Star Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers had shared with no-one his struggles with depression related to the death of his beloved grandmother.
Despite that loss and his grief at not being able to tell her goodbye, he buried his emotions inside himself, afraid that others would see him as weak if he shared his loss with anyone.
Teen who filmed Floyd arrest video speaks out
Darnella Frazier, the teen girl who recorded the cellphone video of George Floyd's arrest and uploaded it to Facebook in May, is being credited for Derek Chauvin's murder conviction.
Jason Preston’s On-Court Success a Testament to Hard Work, Perseverance
Jason Preston is no stranger to regular visitors of MWAH!’s Web site. MWAH! referenced Jason in a Dec. 6, 2020 that described his unlikely, winding road to college basketball. For those who didn’t see it in December, click here to read the story
Jason’s team, the #13 seed in its first-round bracket of the NCAA national tournament, defeated Virginia, the #4 seed and the defending National Champion, on Saturday, March 20.
Dealing With Loss.
Morrison High School student Jade Stock reflects on the topic of loss—including the loss of a traditional senior-year experience—amid the COVID-19 situation that has unfolded across the United States in recent months. Addressing loss in general, Jade encourages teens—and viewers of all ages—to use the defeats that they experience in life in order to move on to their next stages of growth. “Sometimes you have to lose before you gain,” Jade observes. MWAH! invites you to view Jade’s reflection on loss and think about how you can transform setbacks in your life into opportunities for growth.
A Reminder from MWAH! About Mental Health
Students, teachers, and community members are in the process of coping with the Thursday, January 7 death by suicide of Dylan Buckner, football team captain and quarterback at Glenbrook North High School. The high school is located in Northbrook, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago. As is often the case in the aftermath of tragedy, people ask how such a loss could have been avoided. These somber situations provide an opportune time to evaluate which interventions might help students seek out necessary mental health care before the unthinkable occurs.
Dylan, an 18-year-old senior, held school records for both passing attempts and completions and had offers of football scholarships from MIT, Oberlin, Augustana, and other colleges and universities. He said on Twitter that he had been selected to play in the Hawaii Tiki Bowl, whose activities would have taken place this past December 30-January 4 in Honolulu had there been a 2020 football season.
Reaching Out, Seeking Help Essential When Encountering Tough Times.
Feeling down or having a bad day at school, at home, or at work can make anyone’s day a little less pleasant. Whether it results from performing poorly on a test, missing the game-winning shot, arguing with a sibling, quarreling with a friend, or getting a customer’s order wrong at work, moments of defeat and short-term failure can leave a lasting impact. For most people, the bad day is simply a bump in the road, quickly forgotten as new, positive experiences replace the negative ones.
In some situations, though, a person’s negative emotions can overwhelm the positive ones. Whether due to chemical factors in the brain or through one’s general outlook and disposition, some people have an easier time than others bouncing back from defeat. Having a support network can help you get through the tough times. Whether it’s a friend from school, a parent, a school staff member, or someone else, taking the time to talk about your emotions can make a world of difference.
The Bully
This poignant video, which features the voices of middle school students, shows viewers the emotions that victims of bullying experience, as well as the transformative difference that kindness can make. The video then turns to examples of positive behavior, and it reminds viewers, “It’s as easy to be nice as it is to be mean” and “manners and respect cost nothing.”
This video, written and directed by Jonah Maxwell (as a seventh-grader!), focuses on a problem that approximately 3 million students experience each year: Bullying.
