Sophomores Mae Spijkerman and Sydney Baur are in their second year of competition and are excited to compete in the “Community Awareness” event for the ‘23 – ’24 competition season. Last year’s efforts paid off when, as freshmen, they became state champions of the “Medical Innovation” event. This year their focus is on raising awareness for depression in the community, and breaking the stigma of mental health. To do this they have come up with a series of events, big and small, to make sure that after this project, the community knows more about depression and how they can help.
One of the main goals of Mae and Sydney’s project is to raise awareness for depression across all age groups, not just depression in teens. Most don’t think that small children can experience depression. In reality, 11.5% of children and teens deal with depression, and 50% of them don’t receive treatment. This is why Sydney and Mae thought it was crucial to visit schools like St. Martha Catholic School, and Willow Creek Elementary. At these schools, the pair spoke to 5th-grade classes who will soon be making the transition up to middle school. Moving up to a new school, or even a new grade level, is exciting for most, but it comes with challenges. Some may face anxiety or stress that can lead to depression. Mae and Sydney’s goal was to teach the students not only how to recognize their feelings, but how to control them, they were able to teach this with many interactive opportunities. After discussing what depression is, Mae and Sydney described how to cope. They explained that coping is how someone deals with the difficulties of everyday life. They then went into coping lists; a strategic list with separate columns for home and school, filled with a person’s favorite relaxing activities. As the presentation came to a close the duo gave their favorite tips and tricks on middle school, aiming to instill confidence in the students as they journey up to middle school!
Depression is much deeper than just being sad, and can be rooted in many different things, Mae and Sydney wanted to make sure to highlight this in their project. One of the causes of depression is social isolation. So as their second event, the partnership wanted to focus on a community that tends to be forgotten by the youth of today, the elderly at Landon Ridge Assisted Living and Memory Care. 57.4% of families say they aren’t able to visit their loved ones in assisted living facilities because their lives are too busy. With elderly placed in brand new environments, most likely knowing no one, it is no surprise that 1 in 4 people over 60 struggle with social isolation. Social isolation isn’t necessarily a feeling of loneliness, it is the lack of relationships with others and little to no social support or contact, and can be associated with risk even if the person doesn’t feel lonely. To tackle this problem, Sydney and Mae put together an event in which the residents at Landon Ridge could not only interact with the 12 teen volunteers, but with each other. Before all of the fun began, Sydney and Mae gave a short presentation on social isolation, and discussed why it is so important that they come to programs held in the community. After the presentation, half of the student volunteers went to Memory Care, where they socialized and helped the residents paint. While the other group karaoked, played cards and trivia, and drank hot cocoa. Mae and Sydney’s goal for this project was to create long term relationships for the residents, so that even after the event was over, they would have one more friend they could talk to.
What’s next for Sydney and Mae? With more events on the way, and a few more in progress right now, it’s clear that the duo is excited for the upcoming Area Leadership Conference! Their Hobby Fair is coming up on January 6th, 2024, at Kingwood Methodist Church, from 10-12pm. With clubs from all around Kingwood coming to demonstrate what they do, Mae and Sydney hope to promote substantial relationships to further eliminate social isolation. The Hobby Fair will also feature a speaker from The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the nonprofit the partnership has chosen to work with. To support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, visit Mod Pizza on January 3rd, where Sydney and Mae will be holding a fundraiser for AFSP! Make sure you say you’re with HOSA Depression Awareness, or order online using MODGIVES25.
Sydney and Mae believe that depression isn’t something anyone should have to go through alone. They aim to promote awareness about depression, and inform members of the community how they can make a difference. Here’s a simple way you can help: Sign Mae and Sydney’s Kindness Pledge! You can find the link to sign on their Instagram, “depression_awareness_24”, or on their Facebook, “Depression Awareness Kingwood”.
