At just 13 and 14 years old, Arianna Grant and Jahmia Lodge are proving you’re never too young to make a difference.
The two Saint Catherine Academy students have launched ‘Every Mind Matters’, an initiative they hope can raise bigger awareness on mental health and highlight an institution many residents in the Lake Independence division rely on, the Lake I Welcome Resource Center.
Next Wednesday, the teens will host a paint-and-sip activity at the Centre, alongside giving our handmade clay bracelets, food supplies, and hygiene products.
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The project was inspired after Grant passed the centre and learned about the people receiving care there.
“It made me start building awareness on it because I passed by the centre, and then I just saw the people there, and I was like, ‘Wow,’ and I really didn’t know about it at first. So I really think that we should bring awareness to the place,” Grant said. “Mental health is something that a lot of people go through, but they don’t really talk about it.”
For Lodge, the initiative is about encouraging compassion. She said, “Mental health deserves to be recognised and acknowledged, and you never know what somebody is going through in their head unless they open up to you or you find out too late.”
The two girls are inviting the public to support the effort by donating non-perishable food, hygiene products and household supplies. More than collecting donations, they hope to challenge the stigma surrounding mental illness and encourage Belizeans to check in on those around them.
As Grant puts it, “It could be anybody you know.”
Because ‘Every Mind Matters.’
Anyone who would like to contribute to this initiative can call or message 610-4446 or 615-8131.
