Old shoes stepping out for mental health

The goal is 1,000 pairs of shoes brightly decorated and lined up on the church steps in Nelson as a metaphor to ‘step towards each other’ for Mental Health Awareness Week.

Waimea College students at the after-school youth hangout have joined the project, along with other schools, to dig out those old shoes and boots, decorate them with paint and glitter, and add to the assortment that will cover the church steps on 11 October.

The project is a collaboration between mental health groups in the region, and St Barnabas youth worker at Waimea College, Georgia Armstrong, says it represents strengthening connections with each other and stepping into the future.

Her role is all about connections, as she says the statistics around youth loneliness are alarmingly high. For teenagers who are normally “social creatures”, being lonely can make everything a struggle, she says, causing anxiety which can then lead to bullying and attendance issues.

“Society isn’t set up well to deal with anxiety because of the digital world we live in. There’s a lot of good initiatives that people are running, and they all add up and help. They might look like a drop in a bucket, but it all adds up to fill that bucket.”

Sixteen-year-old Al Bagust says one of the biggest challenges for teenagers’ mental health is that they are not yet adults but are expected to act like adults, while grappling with being a teenager.

“You have so many stresses but don’t have the freedom like adults to outsource help. It can be a very sensitive subject, and if you’re having mental health problems it can be hard to talk to your parents. Another reason it’s hard to talk to your parents is that they spend so much time on you being happy, and admitting you aren’t is a problem for them as well as yourself.

“The thing that needs to be discussed around mental health with teenagers is that almost every teenager has mental health problems of some kind because there’s so much pressure. You only hear about the extremes like suicide and self-harm. But a lot of mental health issues not discussed are the day-to-day stuff. The more people talk about mental health, the more knowledge is gained in that area and the more that will help teenagers’ mental health.”

She says discussion on mental health has come a long way, but still has a long way to go, including issues beyond mental health such as gender.

“Every single outside influence in the world takes a part in the intricacies of mental health in teenagers. And the thing is, a lot of teenagers aren’t aware that’s not how everyone else feels. Normal for you is normal for the world in your eyes. If a teenager has mental health (issues), that’s how they see the world.”

Michael Woodbury, 14, says loneliness leads to depression which is invisible and can be anywhere and with anyone. “It can always make you feel not wanted, but you just haven’t found your people yet. You just have to remember there are going to be people who are your people.”

Sometimes it doesn’t take much to brighten someone’s day, Michael says.

“Walking around school you see people sitting alone and looking really bummed, and I look at them and try to get their attention and give them a bit of a smile and that can make a difference. My mum always says, a smile can save a life.”