Youth Ambassador President Shares His Youth Voice
Hi everyone! My name is Alex. I’m the President of the Youth Ambassador Board, and today I wanted to summarize my discussion of social pressures and their effects on mental health and the experiences that led me to where I am today.
As my time as a high schooler and a youth ambassador comes to a close after four years, I want to reflect and provide some of the things we discussed on the Purple Effect podcast when I was a guest on episode 6: YA President Alex & Social Pressure. Regarding my Herren Project club at school, we are still going very strong. Unfortunately, our moderator left the school, so rebuilding and developing some fun but focused ideas took some time to make our club successful. During wellness week this past week, we came up with the idea to buy a huge whiteboard to put in the hallway at school. Then every week, for example, we could ask a question like “what are you doing to stay healthy this week?” This way, we can get the entire school involved and think about their physical and mental health. I am confident that next year, the underclassmen will continue to be great mentors and leaders for the entire school and represent what living a substance-free life means.
Today, we receive absolutely no backlash from peers. If anything, I hear words of encouragement, and teachers/counselors always ask me how Herren Project is still going because they want more kids to join and be a part of it. Throughout the past four years, mental health has become much more destigmatized, and students are much more willing to open up about some of the struggles they are encountering in life as they trust that their brothers at school will listen with open ears and accept with an open heart. For example, every month my school has a small retreat called P-Cubed, which stands for Pioneers, Prayer, Pizza. Once a month, students voluntarily gather as pioneers to pray, reflect on anything they feel open to sharing, and at the end, we celebrate with pizza. It is a great way we stay connected and form even stronger relationships with those we do not know. Especially going to an all-boys school, it is often hard to open up about your feelings and express what is on your mind. However, through P-cubed and various other activities, we men feel comfortable and welcome every single day.
Also, last time I spoke we had received the First Day Film Grant along with 13 other schools across the country and were thinking about some ideas on how we could use that grant. This past year, we have been fortunate to show the film to every single student at my high school and even opened it up to parents. The feedback we received was incredible and so many students told me how, for once in school, the impact the film had on their life was immense. It provided them with a different perspective on how they could become a better person and ensure the well-being of those around them as well.
While I currently do not know what my educational future holds for me, I am confident that thanks to everyone at the Herren Project, I will be able to take the skills, knowledge, and connections I have made and use them to serve as an outlet of leadership and service to those around me for the rest of my life.
Thank you,
Alex Naliath
