CINCINNATI — For Brooke Winstead, her mental health issues revolved around what she calls “isolation.”
“Transferring from UC Blue Ash to DAAP (University of Cincinnati School of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning) or the main UC campus was a big change,” Winstead said. “The classes were smaller, there were fewer students.[Now]everything feels more spread out. There aren’t as many people like me in my classes.”
For Winstead, an urban studies major, it was a tough adjustment. Hopeful and powerful young people (HEY)She found her footing through a space where she could build connections and develop innovative solutions.
“It’s a very different time, and most people are spending a lot of time alone,” Winstead said. “They may not have a community. Community isn’t what it used to be.”
Winstead now helps the organization with planning and implementation. 10-Year Plan It presents a guide for working with schools and parents to improve youth mental health outcomes in a 12-county region.
“They want something better,” BI3 Foundation President Jill Miller told WCPO. “What’s so important and unique about this effort is that we’re putting young people at the center. Cincinnati has been very proactive about coming together to solve problems, but what we’re doing here is giving young people a voice.”
Their voices are said to be ignored by many: one young person dies by suicide every 34 hours in Ohio. Latest Data From the Ohio Department of Health.
“Providing adults with the tools and training to be better advocates for youth engagement is a key strategy,” said Claire Zlatich-Blankemeyer, executive director of HEY.
HEY’s plan is rooted in nurturing so-called “third spaces” – areas away from the usual, and sometimes stressful, social environments of home, work and school – and aims to help young people build relationships with “safe adults” – adults who are described as “strong” and will listen to any issues they have.
Winstead, the Ohio teenager who once lived away from the crowds, is now one of those encouraging other young people involved to speak out.
“You may feel like you have to suffer in silence,” Winstead says, “but it won’t always feel that way. Keep the faith, because you’ll be able to speak up in the future.”
