PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WYMT) – Compassion Pediatrics and Remix Education teamed up Tuesday to teach students about mental health at Mullins Elementary.
The event included games and educational activities for students. The idea is to engage the students while teaching them how mental health can affect everybody around them.
“I think it’s very important to realize that even though some of these topics may be difficult, kids are smart enough to understand what we’re talking about, and what’s going on in their community,” said Joe Umanzor-Marian, of Remix Education.
Mental health exposure increasing among youth
With the rise of technology being used in everyday life, students have the world at their fingertips – for better or worse.
Young students are being increasingly exposed to mental health stigmas, according to organizers.
“With the increased social media usage, internet usage, and AI, it’s just made everything very difficult with mental health,” said Whitney Mullins, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with Compassion Pediatrics.
Tour highlights available resources
The tour is making stops across Eastern Kentucky. Organizers said the goal is to make children aware of struggles related to mental health and the resources available.
“People don’t have to struggle alone. There’s so much help out there, there’s a crisis line it’s 988, you can call or text that number, and somebody confidentially is going to answer that line and you can share those struggles with them. Nobody has to know about it,” Mullins said.
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
“Suicide can be preventable. If we are able to tell kids about resources, let kids know that they’re loved and cared for, and there’s people that care about their feelings, that they’re worthy, we can actually make a difference in their lives. And hopefully they don’t go down that road,” Umanzor-Marian said.
While it can be a topic that is difficult to discuss, the hope is that people have those conversations anyways, for the greater good.
“Just because things are hard to talk about, just because things are difficult to understand, we still need to talk about these things,” Umanzor-Marian said.
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