Hear Me Out is a teen-led support group for kids ages 12—14 that provides a safe place for teens to talk about something they struggle with or want to express. An adult will monitor and mentor the group and be equipped to provide other information to help. This mentor would guide the group by starting with icebreakers and getting the group more comfortable with each other since feeling comfortable and safe is the main goal.  Although the teens will lead the conversations, the mentor will assist, help, give advice, and keep the discussion to a certain level.  This could be a great way to help a teen's mental health while possibly finding new people to befriend and communicate with while opening up a door to finding other resources to help. 

When is it?

Where is it?

How did it start?

The Hear Me Out support group started with a school project called Capstone. Every eighth-grade student has a capstone project they work on throughout the school year to benefit the community in some way. This one began with an eighth grader named Grace, me. I've always enjoyed learning about psychology and mental health and having been through my own struggles in the past, it would be perfect to make my capstone about teen mental health. While going through my own difficulties, I found that it was helpful to be able to talk with someone who was my age and could better understand what I was going through. However, I didn't have someone like that since finding another kid to talk to and relate with was rare. Because of this, I decided to use this opportunity to create a group where teens struggling academically, socially, family, or personally could meet up and share. I want this to help teens the way I wanted to be helped, and have that make a positive impact on people's lives.