Hope Squad members look to destigmatize mental health

For Mankato East High School senior June Foley, it’s important that anybody at school should be able to talk about their mental health.

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“I think mental health is such an important thing, especially going into high school,” she said.

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Foley, along with junior Colbie Hansen and senior Atem Lueth, have all been involved in their school’s Hope Squad for multiple years.

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Hope Squad, a national nonprofit based out of Utah, has students nominate peers who their classmates can then turn to if they need to connect to mental health resources.

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Hope Squad has been at Mankato East for six years and is in other high schools and middle schools in the district as well.

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As the school year gets started, Hope Squad advisor Adam Arnst said the group tries to meet monthly to help students understand what their role is.

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“They’re not the psychologist or a counselor or a mental health professional,” he explained, adding that students instead connect their classmates to resources such as teachers or counselors.

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Like Foley, Lueth has also been in Hope Squad all four years of high school and said he was happy and surprised when he was first nominated.

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“But then at the same time it holds my beliefs,” he said. “The reason I came back three times now is because I want to be that helpful person.”

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Hansen added, “It felt good when I was first nominated. Like Atem said, to be viewed like that, to be trusted almost, and my mom works in mental health, so it felt good to have that connection with her, also.”

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In addition to Hope Squad, the school also has a mental health club. Arnst said anybody can be part of that group, but many Hope Squad members are part of both clubs.

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Arnst also said each spring, the school has a Hope Week, a weeklong effort to raise awareness of mental health.

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Destigmatizing mental health is important to Foley, Hansen and Lueth.

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“I think that everyone experiences mental health in certain ways, some more than others of course, but it’s so normal. Everyone has feelings. Everyone is human. That should never be something that people are afraid to talk about,” Foley said.

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“Kind of going off of what June said, I feel like there’s this stigma around mental health. Nobody ever really wants to talk about it or share their feelings or how they really feel, so I feel that having Hope Squad or people you’re able to talk to … is a great way to make people speak up more,” Lueth added.

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The students also shared what they’ll take away from their time in the club.

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“I’ve definitely been educated on mental health and how much of a weight it can hold on a person. I didn’t understand that before Hope Squad,” Hansen said.

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“It’s made all of us really compassionate and caring and open-minded. When we first trained during our freshman year, I remember we did a simulation. … That’s something we can use for the rest of our life. Anyone outside of school, like if any family member’s struggling … Hope Squad has equipped me with lifelong skills,” said Foley.

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Originally published at https://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/local_news/student-voices-hope-squad-members-look-to-destigmatize-mental-health/article_363e1626-17ec-4d03-918b-70a3d5d4fd03.html