With this PSA we wanted to reach out to adults and guardians in order to raise awareness towards the issues teens face. The PSA covers how teens experience and express anxiety and stress. Parents sometimes do not realize when their child is dealing with something despite the signs they may show.
You never know what someone is going through until they tell you, so this film/podcast gave me an opportunity to become closer with teammates, advisors, and friends – they trusted me enough to share their mental health, and I’m hoping other teens will want to share their mental health after watching this.
I hope I can empower my community through my film.
I made a PSA that a radio show host might make in between two songs. I wanted to make it quick and lighthearted but still informational. The specific problems I talked about are things that I sometimes see parents do, but I think everyone could do this a little bit more.
As a teen, sometimes it’s hard to be heard. This was a perfect opportunity to get the voices of teens who are often ignored out there.
I wish my parents understood the complexity of emotions and mental health in their children. It’s easy for parents to get caught up in the chaos of raising a family, but it’s essential to pause and acknowledge that children have very real emotions that shouldn’t be overlooked just because they’re young.
Silencing your child anytime they are trying to express something to you is a drastic setback for them; over time, it affects their capability to communicate and express their emotions to you. Don’t limit their voice and listen to them.
Being strapped down by the depression of my daily life interrupts everything I do. My worst fear is disappointing my parents and not being able to meet the most simple expectations. The hardest thing for me to tell my parents is that I TRIED to get up but couldn’t.
Every day almost feels the same, especially when you are supposed to be a top student and feel obligated to get everything done perfectly. When I’m working endlessly until the day is over, my window serves as a reminder of how much I miss those days when I had time to go outside, go biking, and hang out with family instead of being in my room constantly.