During the Oct. 25 Whitehall-Coplay Communities That Care meeting, coalition members continued looking at the Pennsylvania Youth Survey data.

When discussing the mental health portion of the survey, Whitehall High School Principal Dr. Peter Mayes questioned if the national conversation surrounding mental health has helped make students more open and willing to admit their mental health struggles. Increases in students reporting anxiety and depression could be a result of less stigma and more open discussions about the importance of good mental health and wellness.

The PAYS report shows students report feeling more comfortable talking with their friends about their struggles. It was noted this was good to see because the CTC’s mental health and wellness committee has been focused on peer-to-peer connections.

Additionally, the school district has had a number of initiatives and activities encouraging students to make connections with each other and help support their peers. To help prove the point, there were uplifting and positive chalk messages outside the school, which the CTC members admitted made them smile when they arrived for the meeting.

When looking at the reasons for being bullied, as reported by the students, some of the “typical” reasons you might expect, such as race, gender and social standing, were not especially highly reported. The highest category was “other.” It was noted this could be from situational moments or based off relationship shifts over time.

Coalition members noted more than half of the students reported being involved in pro-social activities. When asked what barriers are keeping the rest from being involved, it was noted many students either have jobs or are responsible for assisting the family with child care after school.

Mayes said he would like to look for the students not involved in activities, employment or family child care obligations and reach out to learn what is keeping them from being involved.

The next Whitehall-Coplay CTC meeting is set for 9 a.m. Nov. 15 at WHS, 3800 Mechanicsville Road.