Solon High School has added a new Mental Health Matters club.

Co-presidents Danielle Merkin, Helena Caraballo, and teacher advisor Crystal Cadorini put together a group meant for building a family and connecting with the people around us. Educating and giving support to their peers and even adults interested.

“Our main goal is to raise awareness and educate people on mental health,” Caraballo said. “Making sure others around us understand what could be at stake and how a person can help. It costs nothing to make sure a friend is okay.”

Understanding mental illness can help you see warning signs in yourself, peers, friends, family, and more. These students and leaders will be working to help their peers who are struggling and give them somewhere to release the stress and talk

“Getting a better understanding to help other fellow students is something Mental Health Matters strive to do,” Cadorini said.

She also stated that the club was more than just an after-school meeting. The group would like to achieve meetings of hopefulness and helping make their students and peers content in school.

“Knowing specific resources will help students feel more confident when asking for help, “ Cadorini said.

Cadorini also discussed why she wanted to advise the club.

“I decided to become the chaperone of this group because it could be a fun and awesome way to educate my kids,” Cadorini said, “It’s supposed to be fun not like another class, you’re not supposed to feel like you have to work. I feel that mental health is one thing that is so important when in high school or any school, at that.”

With that being said, building relationships with the ones students see five times a week is something people think is paramount to survive in a public high school like Solon.

“These relationships we build could make the environment at SHS improved and safer for its students,” Caraballo said.

Mental Health Matters are hoping to remove the negative stigma around mental illness to make other teens feel comfortable when reaching out.

“Although this club is a safe space, it is not meant for group therapy,” Carabello said. “Another main goal is to purely help to educate and bring awareness.”

Caraballo and Cadorini have left a handful of resources on Mental Health Matter’s google classroom site if you feel the need to reach out for yourself or for a friend. Meetings are every other week after school from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.