Mental health organizations are joining high school students from across central New York, trying to send a message of hope to anyone struggling with their mental health.
It starts with some messages on a sidewalk at a local park.
Students from the East Syracuse-Minoa school district’s Sources of Strength group wrote messages like “Be Hopeful!” “You are Strong!” and “Never Lose Hope” along a sidewalk next to Onondaga Lake.
ESM junior Olivia Ferrerra laid on the while friends drew a chalk outline of her body. The idea was to send a message of acceptance and hope to anyone not feeling good about themselves.
“I feel like just walking and seeing these like motivational messages or drawings, done by people, you know there will be a better tomorrow, like there will be a brighter day,” she said.
Mark Vinciquerra, Coordinator of the Onondaga County Suicide Prevention Coalition said with the state of the world right now, it can be a difficult time for many.
“With that unpredictability and that instability, you can understand how that could be a trigger for someone's, you know, stress and depression and other types of mood disorders,” Vinciquerra said.
The messages are needed now more than ever. Vinciquerra said there have been increases in suicides in various groups, increases in suicidal ideation, and increases in mood disorders. In part, he said, struggles that started during the COVID pandemic linger.
“Covid upped the ante quite a bit in terms of people being very depressed, very anxious,” Vinciquerra said. “And the tough thing is we’re not out of it yet.”
Add an unstable world to the mix, and things just get worse.
“It's the political claptrap, it's the wars, it's the socioeconomic status of folks, it's the cutting in services, it's like the perfect storm,” he said.
Potential federal cutbacks don’t help, especially for things like suicide hotlines for the LBGTQ and veteran's communities. Chalk the Walk is a nationwide program meant to encourage people to learn about suicide prevention services.
