Fayette County has created a 10 Point Safety Plan, which includes student ID badges, metal detectors, and more mental health workers. Due to this, HC has been increasing opportunities to help student’s mental health. One way is by starting a new program called Sources of Strength. I am one of the student participants.

On September 6th, when students had the first meeting, we got to know the others who would be part of the program. The instructors, Doug and Ray, taught us games to get to know the group better. One of those games was seeing what all you had in common with other people. If you were the last one left standing then you’d introduce yourself to the group. They did this until everyone had introduced themselves. Then they broke us up into groups based off of what we enjoy doing art, presentations, social media, etc. The activities made Sources of Strength have a fun introduction to HC. Overall, Sources of Strength had a great start as HC’s newest program.

The reason why the staff implemented this program is to make it easier for people to talk about mental health. Mental health has been a touchy subject for the past few years, as there is a certain negative stigma around the issue.. As someone who has had my fair share of mental health struggles, I enjoy seeing it be more widely discussed. Maybe it will open a door to students being able to talk about it instead of being afraid of being judged.

Sources of Strength, to me, is a way for the school to let students know they’re not alone. Personally, it makes me feel like I’m at a safe place when it comes to my mental health. During the program, I have seen students of different backgrounds come together to find a way to make HC a better place.

The Sources of Strength program will be a very good addition to the community for HC. Students here would like to know that they don’t have to talk to adults about their problems. It is more reassuring to know that there are people your age who go through the same things you do. It’s also easier to talk to peers about the things going on in your life rather than talk to an adult.

Another thing Sources of Strength will bring is just an overall positive attitude about mental health to our school. The program is planning on doing several positive campaign activities to bring more light into the environment. They also want to be able to let teachers know that they’re thought of.

Overall, this program is going to be another positive influence for students that will keep growing for years.