Project Spirit
amplifying MCPS student voices for mental health + deconstructing the stigma through the power of voice and story
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About us
Who?
project SPIRIT is a mental health campaign run by MCPS students. we believe that the best way to expose the reality of many issues that students are struggling with in silence is to provide a safe, virtually unedited platform for their stories to be told. each individual journey is unique and we want to hear from as many perspectives as possible. additionally, we are advocating for a more inclusive mental health support system in all MCPS schools through multiple initiatives.
what?
OUR 3A'S
ADVOCACY: Implementing changes and sharing student perspectives in school support staff through our student advocates, who testify at board meetings and provide a voice for all MCPS studentsAMPLIFICATION: Collecting uncensored stories from anyonymous individuals and providing them with access to free (remote) mental health treatment. Our school representatives are responsible for collecting as many survey responses as possible from their schools to gather data that represents all corners of MCPS.AWARENESS : Conducting thoughtful discussions and interviews based on mental health struggles in relation to the pandemic and facilitating unity, recovery, and growth, gathering as much perspective as possible. We strive to eradicate any kind of stigma surrounding mental health in high school and middle schools in MCPS.
why?
There are thousands, if not millions of teenagers in the world who are struggling mentally. but sharing the emotional, raw stories can open the eyes of others.Often times mental health is overlooked in schools. Many counselors are overly occupied with arranging student schedules to consider the mental health of their students.WE STRIVE TO..:1.) Determine if students in certain MCPS schools are being disproportionately and why they are being negatively impacted. this will allow us to pinpoint what actions can be taken to ensure that no student is left behind.
2.) Provide effective mental health slideshows for homeroom classes.
3.) Based on our student entries, provide suggestions to individual schools to improve the quality of mental health slideshows and shift the focus to effectively aid students’ mental health.
4.) Give rise to student leadership opportunities through our student advocate and liaison positions.
5.) Provide a safe place for students to anonymously share their stories on their journey through topics such as the pandemic, depression, anxiety, sexual assault, and more through project SPIRIT. the stories will be quoted in board testimonies and awareness posts on social media to convey students’ opinions directly.CALLING FOR AN END TO THE STIGMAAlthough we’ve progressed, seeking mental health support continues to be taboo within countless communities in our society.A plethora of individuals—significantly adolescents and young adults—feel unseen, unheard, and overlooked each day. within these groups, often underrepresented in healthcare systems and a majority of safe spaces, many youth of color face barriers to treatment and misdiagnosis at noticeably higher rates than their counterparts.Their struggles are pushed aside, neglected, and ridiculed, building up a sense of shame that hinders them from reaching out for help.From personal experience, coming to terms with struggle can be one of the most tasking things to take on, still, it is a path necessary to finding peace and wellbeing. it's ok to cry, to break down, to reach out and admit to not being ok. as i’ve come to acknowledge, holding in emotion amounts to an unmeasurable burden that makes tackling day-to-day life nearly painful.By circulating the conversation surrounding mental health, we can break generational stigmas and normalize sharing our experiences, bringing a necessary noise to the silence.- The founders of PS
days since project SPIRIT launched