Meeting Senator Wyden


Soooo as many of you may know, two weeks ago on the 15th of February, I got a super cool opportunity to meet one of Oregon's Senators - Senator Wyden. It was super awesome so I thought I should write a blog post about it :)

I've mentioned Youthline before, but for those of you who aren't too familiar with it, it's the teen to teen crisis line that I volunteer at. Teens from all over the US and also internationally text, online chat, or call in and other teens (like myself) answer. I find it super awesome, and although I may be biased, think that it bridges the mental health gap that a lot of teens face.

Anyways, so Senator Wyden is looking to pass a bill or legislature that will hopefully designate a 3-digit mental health crisis number. Countries already have numbers like this, be it 911 or 999, where there is a line to call in emergencies. But what about mental health emergencies? In the US there is a national crisis line, but do you know what it is? The answer is probably no. The number for crisis lines is so long that the majority of people do not know what it is off the top of their head (it's 1-800-273-8255 if you were wondering). This doesn't make any sense to me. Why should a life-saving number be so hard to remember? That's why I think Senator Wyden's push for the 3-digit mental health number is going to make such a big impact on people reaching out in times of need.

When we initially got to the Youthline building where we were meeting Senator Wyden, the tension in the office was palpable. People shuffling papers, laughing nervously, fidgeting, sweating, the whole shebang. While I hadn't been nervous before, the atmosphere in there was making me feel quite uncomfortable. As we (myself and about 9 other youth volunteers) were directed to a circle of chairs lining the outside of the room, people came and briefed us while the cameramen for the news crews set up. I will admit that it started to feel like a really big deal when a news camera was literally 2 inches from my face trying to get a good shot of the room. Very awkward.

Wyden comes in a couple of minutes later and we start our discussion. He wants the youth input about not only the 3-digit number he is proposing but also on mental health in general. It was a really interesting conversation to have - truly an amazing experience. Not only to be sitting with an Oregon Senator, but being able to listen to the concise, wise, and intellectual views of my peers. It really showed me that day just how world-changing teens can be. After the discussion, the news crews interviewed people separately and other people just milled around aimlessly. I was interviewed by one news channel (don't ask me which one because I could not tell you) and got the chance to express some of my own views. It was really fun!

I am super passionate about mental health and the positive promotion of it because I believe it plays a crucial part in our society. We often sweep these topics under the carpet for fear of being judged or misunderstood by the people around us. While I feel that societal pressure myself, I don't believe that should be the case. Why should it be acceptable for me to tell you that I have asthma, and not be acceptable for me to say I have depression and anxiety? Everybody has mental health. End of story. Some people struggle with it more than others, but that doesn't mean that anybody should struggle alone or feel ashamed. Sorry for ranting at all of you guys, I just wanted to get my point across that everybody deserves to feel support and feel loved and accepted :)

Here is one of the news stories about it: (if you're wondering where I am, the camera was so close next to me that I was always out of shot haha)

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/wyden-meets-with-youth-counselors-to-discuss-teen-suicide-crisis/283-aec46ac4-9477-4c8b-a4a8-291d5be3e243

Thank all of you for reading and I hope that everybody's week has been awesome! I really appreciate you all for reading these, it means a lot to me. If anybody you know needs support, or any of your teens are struggling, I included the national number again and the Youthline contact information below.


National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 (there is also a chat system on their website)
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Youthline: 877-968-8491
- Website: https://oregonyouthline.org
- Text: text the word Teen2Teen to 839863
- Chat: found on the website

Happy Oregon snow day!

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