Hope Means Nevada is dedicated to normalizing conversations about mental health among students. The nonprofit started in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then, it has added a teen committee so local teens can make an impact in their schools. Hope Means Nevada also hosts events and roundtables to discuss mental health-related topics and help teens feel more heard in the community.

As students prepared to return to school, the Weekly spoke to Ciera Bellavance, Hope Means Nevada’s executive director, about her organization’s mission and how to have a smooth transition back to campus.

Why focus on youth mental health? When it comes to mental health, specifically youth mental health, Nevada ranks towards the bottom of the list, [with a] high rate of attempted suicides and completed suicides and a low rate of care. … We talked to some teens who said things like, “I’ve been wanting to figure out stuff with my mental health, but I didn’t even know it was called behavioral health.” So [we’re] opening the door to those conversations and then providing the resources so that they can find support, if needed.

Do you think the effects of COVID-19 and the pandemic shutdowns are still being felt among adolescents? We still have reports of students saying the anxiousness doesn’t go away. The CDC has also reported the highest levels of teens that report feeling deep sadness and hopelessness. So I don’t think that that’s gone away.

How many volunteer youth ambassadors are on the teen committee? How does that system work? We currently have over 100 teens that have signed up on our website, and that’s basically all through word of mouth. They’re really advocates in their schools, with their peers, and they do a lot of interviews. We have our campaign slogan #Ask5. We challenge everyone, but teens specifically, to reach out and ask at least five of their friends or family how they’re doing and really listen for the response. We also know that peer-to-peer connection is much more valuable and stronger than adults trying to attempt to talk to teens. I don’t think it would be very effective if we didn’t have those teen advocates. We’re very grateful for them.

What can the community do to help with the goal of better mental health for adolescents and teens? I think that the biggest thing that we can do as a community is to be kind to one another and be an example. If we want better mental health, we should try and practice that.

I also think that it’s important to talk to the people in your lives about mental health. We talk with some teens who say they’re completely comfortable talking about their mental health, but their parents kind of clam up and get nervous to talk about it, which makes sense. On our website hopemeansnevada.org, we have tips for parents on how to talk to their teens about mental health. I would say make that a normal conversation, just like you would talk about their physical health.

Social media is obviously a huge factor in adolescents’ mental health these days. What tips does Hope Means Nevada offer when it comes to that? I think social media can be a really great thing … but we call it “doomscrolling.” Stop the doomscroll! … It’s not bringing you any joy or happiness, or you’re looking at things that cause anxiety or make you nervous. So we always say, follow accounts that make you feel good and make you feel positive. It’s OK to unfollow things that aren’t serving you.

What would you say to someone feeling anxious or nervous upon returning to school? I think preparing yourself—know where you’re going, your clothes are laid out, you have enough sleep and you’re setting an alarm at a reasonable time—can help reduce anxiety and uncertainty.

I also think that it’s important to recognize that change can be scary and uncertain, but it doesn’t mean that it’s a bad thing; recognize that it’s OK to feel feelings of anxiousness or nervousness. Those are all normal and healthy.

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