KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Sometimes an approach to mental health is finding a safe, calm space.
That’s what Healthy Blue Kansas helped create for youth with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City in Olathe.
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It's common for kids to get used to all of the traditional things in a classroom: desks, books and chalkboards.
Now, kids at the Boys and Girls Club are getting used to walking in and being asked about how they are doing.
"They should talk to us about not harming ourselves because that’s not good," said Alana Berry, a sixth grade student. "You matter."
All you have to do is ask and you might be surprised with how the kids answer.
"There’s this girl in my class who is always saying terrible things like she’s going to kill herself, and we have many incident reports, but she doesn’t get the help she needs from the counselors," said Tailyn Fuller, another sixth grade student.
Even in middle and elementary schools, mental health means something to the students.
"How people are feeling in their head…if they’re okay or not," Fuller said.
If they aren’t doing well, now they have a space designed just for them.
They can take a few minutes in their own spot to decompress.
"What we’ve noticed as a staff, when they come in here and decompress, or use sensory toys, or what’s in here for them, they usually go back to their group in a much better head space and leave the club in a much better head space," said Nick Hart, a staff member for the organization.
The room is called The Chill Zone.
Many of the kids already have a favorite spot, but they can also identify when they aren’t okay.
"Sometimes I just feel like I need a cool five minute break," one student said.
Mental health isn’t just something that’s learned as you get older.
"Not many people know about it," Fuller said.
It’s something kids work through and want to talk about more often.
