By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Six Tucson and Marana high schools are contributing to Teen Lifeline’s Message of Hope campaign, marking the beginning of Teen Suicide Prevention Awareness Month on Tuesday. The campaign features high school athletes from 38 Arizona schools recording public service announcement videos to tell classmates it is okay to ask for help.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 40% of teens face intense feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Salpointe Catholic High School football players Kane Collins and Elijah Valencia, both seniors and team captains, recorded public service announcement videos to show classmates that help is available. Both said mental health has been a growing concern.
“Everybody can seem as strong on the outside as they really want to, but deep down everyone has their own struggles, so I think them just knowing that people out there are doing the same things they are, going through the same struggles is really powerful, because it allows them to open up and not feel so alone,” Collins said.
“I believe everyone is created in the image of God and I want people to know their worth and believe there’s a community out there that cares for them,” Valencia said.
Valencia and Collins said the worst thing teens can do is hide how they’re feeling. Teen Lifeline offers a way for students to share those feelings with people who understand.
Teen Lifeline is a free, confidential, peer-to-peer hotline for teenagers in southern Arizona, available 24-7. The hotline historically sees some of its highest call volumes now, as teens return to the classroom.
The hotline reports nearly two-thirds of teens are reaching out with relationship challenges. One in every three calls comes from a young person experiencing thoughts of suicide.
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Marana High School cheerleaders Rylee Hopkins and Mia Hollis, both sophomores, said they have experienced needing help first-hand.
“You don’t know what anyone’s going through behind closed doors,” Hollis said.
“Somebody could really be struggling that you don’t know, and you should always think that you don’t know what people are going through, and you should help everybody,” Hopkins said.
The PSAs will run on school announcements and on social media throughout September. Arizona teenagers can call Teen Lifeline at 1-800-248-8336 (TEEN).
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