Teen Mental Wellness Empowering Minds: Daisy & Pius XI Catholic High School
Teens today carry a heavy load. While adults may remember the pressures of school and social expectations, young people today are navigating those same challenges plus the complex, global issues their adult counterparts are facing. It’s no wonder that more teens than ever are struggling with their mental health.
United Way’s Teen Mental Wellness: Empowering Minds initiative invests in school-based strategies that help students thrive. By supporting comprehensive mental health systems in local high schools, the initiative ensures that teens have the tools, support, and voice they need. One of those schools is Pius XI Catholic High School, where Daisy has become a passionate advocate.
“I feel like I’ve come a long way,” Daisy reflected. “From being the person who needed help as a freshman, to my senior year now, being someone who can help others.”
Each school participating in Empowering Minds creates a framework to strengthen mental health resources based on Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction’s School Mental Health Framework. At Pius XI, the first step was bringing the right people together to understand the school’s needs.
“We brought together students, parents, staff members, members of our leadership team, and our counseling center, so everyone would have a chance to bring their ideas to the table as we started down this road,” said LaKendra Brown, Assistant Principal at Pius XI.
Daisy is one of those students sharing an equal voice in shaping how the school supports teen mental health.
“I love being a student leader for Empowering Minds at Pius because it’s such a great opportunity to share the student perspective,” she said. “It’s a unique chance to represent everyone here.”
And her leadership hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“I’ve had students — my peers — come up to me and say how grateful they were that I was able to speak up,” Daisy said. “And how much it helped them realize it’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to not be okay. Being that person who inspires others, who lifts others up and encourages them to reach out — that’s been really empowering.”
When you donate to United Way’s Teen Mental Wellness: Empowering Minds initiative, you’re not just helping schools. You’re helping teens step into leadership roles and support one another. United is the Way that we empower the next generation to do great things.