PALM HARBOR, Fla. — A Pinellas County teenager is using dance to help raise awareness about mental health in adolescents.
What You Need To Know
- Bea Shen, a 16-year-old high school student, is responding to the mental health crisis impacting her peers
- She partnered with Suncoast Center, a local nonprofit community mental health center
- She coordinated with her director at Steps School of Dance to create the program
- LINK: Crisis Center of Tampa Bay
Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed nearly 60% of teen girls in the United States reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless, and almost 25% said they made a suicide plan.
Bea Shen, a 16-year-old high school student, is responding to the mental health crisis impacting her peers. The junior at Palm Harbor University High School organized a fundraiser to help raise awareness.
To help other teens be more mindful of their mental health, she partnered with Suncoast Center, a local nonprofit community mental health center.
"Mental health is an issue that ultimately effects every American family," said Shen.
The teen stays busy with the IB program, playing tennis, singing, playing piano and taking dance lessons. She says dance helps her in many ways.
"I love just being able to de-stress," Shen said. "It’s definitely a good stress coping mechanism for me."
"I feel like when I dance, I just forget about everything else that’s going on and I’m very in the moment," she added.
Hoping dance can help others, Shen took a school assignment to incorporate creativity, activity and service and organized a dance program to raise money for mental health awareness.
"Not only raising awareness in children and teens, but also raising awareness for the need for accessible and affordable mental health care," she said.
The teen coordinated with her director at Steps School of Dance to create the program.
Proud to participate, Lauren Ben Yaaqov says she sees her students benefit from dance.
"It’s that sense of community, friendship, creativity, so I think it helps them with their mental health in a lot of those ways as well," she said.
That creativity and community took center stage at the performance that sold 600 tickets, with the proceeds going to support Suncoast Center.
It's an experience Shen hopes will help kids who might be struggling.
"If they feel like they need help or they know someone who needs help, it’s OK to reach out for support," she said. "We really wanted to de-stigmatize reaching out for help and support in order to maintain good mental health.”
It's a cause Shen said she will continue to support.