CINCINNATI — Students at Withrow University High School took a proactive approach toward mental health as they led a podcast discussing the pressures and expectations surrounding higher education.
The session was part of a broader initiative by the Urban Champions Program through the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio, focusing on workforce development, post-secondary education, entrepreneurship and mental health.
"We give them experience and exposure to workforce development and post-secondary education. We've been to Morehead, we're going to Central State ... we've been to Kentucky State with this youth", said Derrick Rogers, director of the Community Partnering Center at the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio. "And so, with these sessions, we give the youth the whole experience, today we talked about mental health and how it weighed in on preparing for college."
The session featured guest speakers who shared personal experiences, helping students see different perspectives. The group of junior students has worked with professors from Miami University for several weeks to talk with them about the expectations.
"We started the cohort in January, this is the sixth, seventh week of the program and they're already prepped. One of the things they wanted to talk about is mental health and the impact is has on college, So they came up with a script and the things they wanted to talk about," said Rogers.
After being exposed to college for a year, students were divided into two groups to engage in discussions and debates. This format allowed for more focused conversations on specific mental health topics around the college experience.
Watch video of students leading their mental health podcast here:
"It teaches you knowledge of your next steps — what you can prepare for because not everyone wants to go to college but seeing and hearing there's other things you can do there's other steps you can take because not everyone think they can get out of high school," said Kezia Sanders, an 11th-grade member of the Urban Champions Program.
During the summer cohort, students will receive 16 hours of work experience and on Fridays participate in workshops based around the four pillars (workforce development, post-secondary education, entrepreneurship, and mental health) ahead of a youth summit.
"I felt like it was nice to talk as a class and collaborate on why we think college is a good idea, what other options might be, and the impact of thinking about what college could do for us. We are juniors, We are about to start that journey in our life. So, it was nice to have that conversation," said Mariah Myers, an 11th-grade member of the Urban Champions Program.
Donations are accepted to support the youth activities, to learn more about the Urban Champions Program, click the link here.
