An Initiative to Help Address Barriers Teens Face
By Achyut Reddy
The demand for mental health resources has increased in recent years, but not everyone who needs care is able to access it. According to the RAND, government spending on mental health services has increased by nearly half since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many people, including teenagers, struggle to utilize these necessary resources. For teenagers, barriers such as limited autonomy, communication barriers, lack of awareness, and insufficient availability of resources tailored to their age might make it harder to access resources.
Because of this, I’d like to introduce a new NAMI WC high school initiative, an initiative Dr. Mark Creekmore and I have started to address the disparity between teenagers and the resources they need. We aim to reallocate resources specifically for teenagers through strategies such as awareness and advocacy campaigns, educational initiatives, direct connections with professional teen mental health services, teen peer-to-peer support services, and fundraising efforts. We also intend to scale by creating chapters (clubs) in other high schools to pursue these goals.
The club aims to provide support in the places where most teenagers reside: their schools. By encouraging a student-run group within each school in Washtenaw County and other local counties, we hope that teenagers will easily access and feel comfortable seeking help or the necessary resources. The main role of the students will be focused on four efforts: advocacy/education, fundraising, training for peer-to-peer support, and ultimately, fostering a safe environment for their peers.
If you are interested in learning more about the initiative or joining, please contact me (achyutr07@gmail.com) or Dr. Creekmore (pmcreek@gmail.com). The initiative is open to any member of the community, especially students and educational workers, and we would love for people to share their ideas on how we can tackle this crisis. We hold weekly meetings every Friday at 5:00 p.m. to address this growing issue.
Achyut is a high-school student at the Detroit Country Day School, where he loves writing and pursuing his interests in STEM. He is involved with his school newspaper, robotics team, and is on the Varsity Tennis and Track Team. In his free time, Achyut enjoys reading, playing tennis, and volunteers with NAMI!