ICT Teen Council Meeting Recap November, 2024
For our fourth teen council meeting of the 2024-2025 school year, our Teen Council members started off by reviewing the Micro-Grant Application Process and we shared some ideas for what we could do for the micro-grant.
Kenna suggested organizing a walking event in Derby, accompanied by snacks and merchandise. The event could be themed “Outside for Mental Health” to promote mental well- being. Georgie proposed using sidewalk chalk and happy reminders to spread positivity throughout the community. The idea of incorporating a scavenger hunt with mental health reminders was also discussed, potentially turning it into a fun activity that encourages teens to collect swag while learning about mental health.
The conversation then turned to combining the walking event with a scavenger hunt. It was reminded of previous requests for crafts and activities, suggesting the creation of friendship bracelets or soap. We thought of organizing a “mental health fair” that would bring together all these ideas. Kenna also mentioned the possibility of including pets in the event. Mitchell suggested hiring local bands to provide live music during the walk. Story Day was another idea that was discussed. A photographer and field journalist would be invited to capture Teen Stories, which could be interviewed and posted online. This concept could be tailored to rural schools.
The fair idea was revisited, and it was appreciated that multiple ideas were being considered. We discussed having a guest speaker. Kenna shared that teenagers often get bored when they’re forced to watch a motivational speaker, even if the speaker is helpful. Kenna then suggested that there could be several Teen speakers to keep variety and allow time for breaks. Georgie, “This is an event we can raise funds for,” as long as we have people willing to put in the effort behind fundraising for it.
We discussed the previous Mental Health Forum and decided that the forums should be longer and we should try to incorporate more round-table discussions.