Libby Myers was brimming with positivity while nodding her head and noting that the Island Space campaign is going to be big.
As Mercer Island High School (MIHS) students gathered in the commons for the initiative’s Lunch Jam official launch event on April 19, senior Myers confidently spoke into the microphone while sharing information about the social marketing campaign aimed at improving student mental health, decreasing their substance use and guiding them toward making healthy choices to reap all-around success.
The Mercer Island Healthy Youth Initiative and Mercer Island Youth and Family Services staffs began unveiling their campaign in the early weeks of April through placement of posters in the MIHS hallways. “Let’s redefine what it means to be successful,” reads one poster, which mentions the pressure to succeed that exists on the Island. On the Island Space website, students can peruse pertinent information on how to rise above those pressures and then communicate with each other about their shared experiences in that realm.
While speaking with the Reporter, Myers said there’s, “Tough days for everyone. I think it’s hard to be a high schooler in today’s age, especially at Mercer Island where the standards are so high and the definition for success is, ‘Where are you going to college?’ and what job you have. I think these resources will really help a lot of students.”
Myers, who is president of the MIHS S.A.F.E. (Super Awesome Fun Events) Club — which helped develop the campaign — said that some coping mechanisms students can put into play include: hanging out with friends who are a good influence, getting off the Island and taking a deep breath, participating in sports and other outside activities, and putting social media on the back burner.
Sophomore Ren Evans, another S.A.F.E. Club member, said one of the campaign’s elements is students managing their space, and one poster reads, “Do You Ever Wish You Had More Space?” She added that students often struggle to take control of their own lives during their pressure-packed days filled with academics, extracurriculars and more.
“I think one of the things we’re really trying to do is help people manage their own time, help people understand how high the standard is on Mercer Island — because it really is so high — and that pressures a lot of students,” Evans added.
According to the campaign document, most Mercer Island youth don’t use alcohol or other substances, but the MIHS 2022 Healthy Youth Survey results revealed that Mercer Island students who do use alcohol are more likely than most Washington youth to binge drink.
Through surveys, data, interviews and focus groups, local Healthy Youth Initiative coordinator Michelle Ritter explained that, “We learned that a large number of teens that are using substances are using it to deal with the enormous pressures that they’re feeling as students. We all know there’s a youth mental health crisis, so we’re looking at what kind of the root cause of that is.”
Ritter added that the S.A.F.E. Club members are glad that educators, parents and trusted adults are also participating in the youth mental health discussions by gaining an understanding about the students’ experiences. She’s hopeful about everyone continuing on an empathetic path while joining together and talking about the issue.
As she glanced at the throng of students entering the commons and making their way toward the Lunch Jam, Ritter noted about MIHS teens, in general, and their school involvement: “They need to know that what they’re doing is amazing and taking care of themselves is the most important thing.”
Visit the Island Space campaign site at: https://islandspace.wpengine.com/
