CINCINNATI — For Brooke Winstead, her mental health challenges centered around what she describes as "isolation."
"Being transferred from UC Blue Ash to DAAP (University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning), or to UC main campus in general, it was a big transition," Winstead said. "The classes were smaller, small population ... (now) it’s like everything is so spread out. It’s not a lot of people who look like me in my classes."
It was a hard adjustment for Winstead, majoring in urban studies. But with Hopeful Empowered Youth (HEY), she found her footing through an outlet to build bonds and innovate solutions.
"This is a very different time where most people, they spend a lot of time by themselves," Winstead said. "They may not have that community; community is not what it used to be."
Winstead is now helping the organization devise and implement a 10-year plan that lays out a guide for working with schools and caregivers to improve youth mental health outcomes in a 12-county area.
"They want better," Jill Miller, president of BI3 Fund, told WCPO. "What’s so critical and so different about this effort is that we are centering the youth. Cincinnati is really strong about coming together around problems but this, what we’re doing here, is giving youth the voice."
Theirs is a voice that many say is going unheard. One young person in the state of Ohio dies every 34 hours by suicide, according to the latest data from the Ohio Department of Health.
"Helping equipment adults with the tools and training to be better advocates to engage youth is a critical strategy," HEY executive director Clare Zlaticblankemeyer said.
HEY's plan is rooted in cultivating what's called "third spaces" — areas separate from the usual social, and sometimes stressful, environments like home, work or school. They also look to help youth build relationships with a "safe adult," an adult described as "strong" and who listens to any issues they may have.
Winstead, a young Ohioan who once strayed away from the crowds, is now one of the people encouraging the youth involved to speak up.
"You may feel like you have to suffer in silence," said Winstead. "But you won't always feel that way. In the future you'll be able to use your voice, so keep the faith."
