Reporting by Cesar Canizales | Photos by Jordan Somers

Wednesday was a youth-centered day—at Ingraham High School in North Seattle, the announcement of a new initiative to prioritize youth mental health.

And in the Central District, an evening teen town hall bringing together city and community leaders to address youth issues and concerns.

The new mental health project was launched at Ingraham High School—site of a gun shooting last November when a student shot and killed Ebenezer Haile. 

The “Reach Out Seattle” initiative will focus on teaching adults in the community methods to identify mental health issues in young people and non-clinical intervention as a way to reduce gun violence. Depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts have all gone up over the past few years.

“The rates of youth experiencing mental challenges clearly have increased since the pandemic, and it's heavily affected those who are very vulnerable, people who have preexisting mental health concerns,” said Dr. Leslie Walker-Harding, chief of pediatrics at Seattle Children’s. “The goal is to ultimately decrease the need for high intensity inpatient hospitalizations by empowering parents, caregivers, and trusted adults to be first responders in the community, developed with youth and mental and behavioral health providers.”

Walker-Harding said more and more youth are going to the hospital’s emergency room and stay there for days and sometimes weeks. 

“There's nowhere to send them to and it's, it's heart wrenching to see this happen to our youth and see them in need of such help,” said Walker-Harding.

Seattle Student Union executive director Chetan Soni described how the rise in gun violence has affected him and his peers.

“In middle school, I was in two lockdowns, two lockdowns within the same year, two moments where we knew that whoever it was, they were coming,” said Soni “That feeling stays with you and it never goes away. Every single hour and every single day. That is how often students, staff and teachers think about gun violence at school.”

The frequent lockdown drills create anxiety in young people, he said.

“Since elementary school, we've had to practice active lockdowns, hiding in a corner, pulling down the blinds and staying absolutely, completely silent because we knew one day our lives would depend on it during a lockdown,” Soni said.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said youth are facing issues that make it difficult for them to learn.

“How can you learn when you are facing trauma, pain, stress, anxieties? How can you be all you can be your authentic self when you have to look over your shoulder and constantly worry about gunfire, violence, bullying?”

Walker-Harding said anger and agitation is often misinterpreted but it’s actually depression. Talking to them is a good first step.

“Seeing a kid who seems angry, you know, unable to really transition. You know, you want to stop and say, ‘How are you? I see you. What's going on?’ And it's funny-- you think, well, that's not enough for some kids. It actually is. A lot of kids just to acknowledge them, find out why they seem so angry, give them an opportunity to speak,” said Walker-Harding.

Ninth-grader Max Santiago has friends who are going through difficult periods.

“I have many friends who have struggled with mental health for a very long time, some who have a lot of family issues, others who are struggling with family and themselves, and some that just don't want to get help or feel like they can't get help because they don't want to ask for it,” Santiago said. 

At the evening teen townhall at Langston Hughes Arts Center in the Central District, city leaders discussed gun violence, racism, and bullying with members of the audience.

“The fact that we have such access to firearms; the fact that a 14-year-old can get a gun quicker than he can get an education is sad,” said Devitta Briscoe, Gun Violence Prevention Liaison for the City of Seattle

Harrell said young Black people are not respected as they should be.

“I talk to young African American young men about walking in a store, and they become a suspect by virtue of the pigmentation of their skin,” Harrell said. “No one promised this world was going to be fair. It should be. But we will fight against racism. We will fight against prejudice. But in the meantime, we’ll also fight for mentorship.”

Dwane Chappelle of the Department of Education and Early Learning talked about the difference between been a 3rd-grade teacher years ago when the children were quiet, and years later when he was a principal.

“Fast forward 10 years when I was a high school principal listening to young people, I guess you would call it body shaming on snapchat and cyberbullying someone,” Chappelle said.

Zakariya Mukhtar was one of the teen panelists at the townhall. He said he liked what he heard, but he wants to see how it all develops. 

“I feel like they have a lot of ideas that they want to implement and, I don’t think we’ll be able to see those ideas implemented any time soon. So, this is going to be a waiting game until we see what they do,” said Mukhtar, who goes to Garfield High School. 

“I feel like they really care, they really want to make an impact. It’s not just them speaking about it,” said Jaylon Petty, a sophomore at Auburn High School.

But even with the multiple issues that youth have to deal with today, young people who attended the townhall are looking forward to their futures.

“I want to go to UNC, but you know, whatever happens, happens. I want to go anywhere, really.”

Mukhtar said he really likes politics and wants to study that field.

“I really want to be able to affect people’s lives. I might just go to college, take a little degree, go on with life, and be a background character in the public.

Even though ninth-grader Cyanni Wilson is a few years from graduating from high school, she’s already thinking about what she wants to do after graduation.

“I’m gathering info on different colleges on which one would probably be the best for me, but I haven’t made my final decision yet,” said Wilson, who goes to Kent-Meridian High School in Kent.