Why I Believe The Plan Will Work

By training student peers and teachers on how to recognize signs of distress in others and what to do about it will "barriers [will be removed] for students thinking about seeking help. (Ensz)” But, The Link Crew needs to be willing to help with the process and give some of their extra time to this effort. If they do not, perhaps having teachers create a group of peer mentors would be a solution. To make it easier for the Link Crew to present more often perhaps a subgroup of 10 or so Link Members can be used to rotate through presentations. An incentive for students to participate could be hours for various organizations that are important to students at Century such as Key Club, Octagon Club, and NHS.

The students at Century are aware that it is a problem and want to do something about it. This has been proven from various interviews with students both struggling with mental illnesses and those who view it daily at school in friends and loved ones (Students).

Moreover, other schools have started peer mentoring programs and have found great success. They found that students typically have an easier time opening up to fellow students rather than counselors who have other jobs that garner the majority of their attention. Another student from the same school, Alice, found that participating in a Depression Awareness Group proved to help decrease the stigma other students had for mental illnesses (Kane). A student in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Madeline, said “‘I felt so relieved (to talk to someone)...I had never talked to anybody who could relate to what I was experiencing. It made a world of difference to know that I wasn’t alone. (Kane)”