Emotional Assembly Hits Home at St. Theresa’s Catholic High School
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O Lord my God, I cried out to you, and you healed me.” (Psalm 30:2)
Class by class, the students of St.Theresa’s Catholic High School in Midland piled into their school gymnasium for an assembly about a very sensitive subject - mental health. Youth Speak, a Canadian charity founded to empower troubled youth, visited the school on Thursday, April 7th to speak to the students about mental health and its importance.
Four speakers, Joanne, Frank, Matt and Michelle lined up on the stage in front of the school, and shared their personal stories and spoke about the hardships they have endured throughout their lives. Their stories included suffering from substance and alcohol addiction, sexual abuse, bullying, anxiety, depression and much more.
Every speaker had their own personal struggles to overcome, and students attending the assembly felt intense emotions towards the speakers and their stories. Many students felt a personal connection to aspects of the speaker’s battles.
The assembly sent a message to students that they are not alone in how they are feeling or what they are going through, and there is always help available.
After the assembly was completed and the students were dismissed to return to class, the speakers of Youth Speak welcomed anyone who wanted or needed to talk to someone to approach them. Many students took this opportunity, sharing their own personal stories with the speakers and telling them about how they related to their stories.
It was a great opportunity for the staff and students of St.Theresa’s High School to attend the Youth Speak assembly, and everyone learned something new about mental health and mental illness. You can check out Youth Speaks website to learn more at youthspeak.ca.
Submitted by Jasmine Crawford, Student Journalist