TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Canyon Ridge High School plans to host a free community mental health talk on April 17.
The event features guest motivational speakers Ryan Stream and Jared Scott. The two plan to cover challenging topics regarding mental health such as depression, anxiety, and suicide. Anyone in the Magic Valley is welcome to attend.
The goal of the talk is to help people be more comfortable with these topics and help get the ball rolling on conversations about mental well-being.
“We have to reach people. We have to tell them it's OK to talk about this stuff and that we need to talk about this stuff,” said Matthew Alexander, school counselor at CRHS.
“Changing the context of it. Changing the stigma with it. Talking about it. Getting vocal about it. We have to talk about it. You have to start a conversation,” said Sage Hanks, Twin Falls School District parent.
Hanks is one of the more influential parts of this event taking place. Her desire was to make a completely free event where not only high school students could talk about mental health problems, but adults could have the conversation as well.
“Teens aren't the only ones struggling. Adults are struggling. The last few years have been really hard on all of us, as a society, with Covid and the shutdown and things like that,” she said.
Both Hanks and Alexander have high hopes for this event and are excited for the outcome of bringing guest speakers like this to Twin Falls.
“I hope this event sparks parents having real conversations with their kids,” said Alexander.
“I want people to be able to look at somebody sitting next to them and know that we can come together, and we can do this, and we can show love and we can show support and there isn't a stigma around mental health,” said Hanks.
