‘Kids listen to kids.’ Peers help those struggling with mental health during pandemic

With the pandemic dragging on, it’s clear that many adults have been struggling with isolation and feelings of depression. But mental health issues are also a growing concern for youth.

That’s why the Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri have partnered with CommunityAmerica to create the Stay Strong COVID Support Program.

Its aim is to help girls learn to understand difficult emotions and express them and manage them in healthy ways. Participants watch videos geared to their age range and choose activities from a list.

The essence of the program came from a group of high school interns at CommunityAmerica. Initially, they were just helping the Girl Scouts make a program on financial literacy, but when this opportunity came up, they couldn’t say no.

“We went on this big call,” said Maeve Donovan, a sophomore at Pembroke Hill. “We brainstormed ways we got through COVID, tips to stay focused, stuff that helped us when we were feeling lonely, sad or bored.”

Blue Valley North sophomore Rima Chavali also liked working with the other girls and contributing her own ideas to create the scripts for the videos.

“The whole process of being able to help younger girls was a lot in itself,” she said. “I never predicted that I would get such an opportunity. A lot of the stuff can get stressful sometimes. I use music as my outlet … singing or dancing in my kitchen and letting out my energy that way.”

Knowing they were making the program for other girls just a few years younger than themselves made an impact on the interns.

“Younger girls look up to older girls when (they) don’t want to listen to parents or teachers. It’s an honor to be that for a girl who could be feeling the stress that comes with doing school at home,” Maeve said. “It’s cool to know my tip could help another girl feel better.”

To make sure their ideas were good from a medical perspective, the girls consulted with experts at Children’s Mercy Hospital.

“We validated some of their experiences and shared what would be appropriate by age level; what would be important content to be sure to cover in each area,” said Carey Spain, senior director of integrate community care at Children’s Mercy. “They had some really great ideas, with each of the girls talking about different things they tried.”

Hundreds of Girl Scouts from around the area have already taken part in the program. Ten-year-old Harper Newton of Prairie Village said she loved the activities.

“The most important thing is they encourage you to get up and get active and continue to do the things you love. I also think it was really cool of the interns to do that instructional video,” Harper said. “I know a bunch of kids my age look up to those interns.”

She also appreciated that she could do the activities, like riding her bike or playing with her dog, on her own schedule, to fit it around her virtual school hours.

Shannon Newton, Harper’s mother, said the program helps kids through physical and mental activities.

“I have been looking for other things, supportive, encouraging things, for Harper,” Newton said.

When the girls completed the activities, they sent in a description and photos, and they received a stress ball as a prize.

Like Shannon Newton, Lee’s Summit resident Jennifer Mikulich heard about the program through the Girl Scouts’ Facebook page.

“A lot of the girls had been struggling with doing virtual learning and stress and disappointment, and we were trying to find things we could do with them,” Mikulich said.

Her daughter, 9-year-old Kristin Mikulich, said she learned a lot from the program.

“It’s OK to let your emotions out, as long as you don’t take them out on other people and have control and use different strategies,” she said.

Kristin also appreciated seeing the high school interns in the videos, “because they’re kids, and kids listen to kids more than kids listen to grown-ups.”

The program has been so successful that it’s now open to everyone ages 5 to 17 in the metro, not just Girl Scouts. To access it, visit lifeskills.communityamerica.com.

This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 5:00 AM.