Student mental‑health rally

More than 550 students and educators from 42 New England high schools gathered at Gillette Stadium on April 9 for a day focused on teen mental health. (thesunchronicle.com) The Foxborough event brought together students from Attleboro, North Attleboro, Mansfield, Foxborough and other schools for breakout sessions, outreach and student-led discussion, The Sun Chronicle reported. KyleCares said it was the fourth annual conference it has held at Gillette Stadium with the New England Patriots Foundation. (thesunchronicle.com) (kylecaresinc.org) KyleCares describes the conference as a student mental-health gathering built to help teenagers learn practical skills, hear personal stories and bring ideas back to their schools. The group said last year’s Gillette conference drew students from 37 schools, and this year’s event expanded to 42. (kylecaresinc.org 1) (kylecaresinc.org 2) The turnout comes as federal data still show broad distress among high school students. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 39.7 percent of students in its 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported persistent sadness or hopelessness, 20.4 percent said they had seriously considered suicide, and 9.5 percent said they had attempted suicide. (cdc.gov) The same federal survey found lower risk when students reported stronger protective factors, including school connectedness and support from adults at home and at school. That puts school-based events like the Gillette gathering inside a wider push to make mental-health support part of everyday school life, not only crisis response. (cdc.gov 1) (cdc.gov 2) KyleCares has built that approach into a regional network. The nonprofit said it has invested more than $445,000 in programs for more than 100 high schools and colleges across New England, while also backing student clubs and suicide-prevention efforts. (kylecaresinc.org) (jedfoundation.org) The organization has also partnered with The Jed Foundation on longer-term school planning in Massachusetts. In 2021, the two groups announced work with Attleboro High School, North Attleboro High School and Millis High School on suicide prevention and student mental-health strategy. (jedfoundation.org) At Gillette, the point was to put that work in front of students from dozens of schools at once, in a venue better known for football than counseling. By the end of Thursday, the stadium had been used as a meeting place for teenagers trying to turn school mental health from a private struggle into a public conversation. (thesunchronicle.com) (kylecaresinc.org)