The Silver Ribbon Campaign is starting up again at South, this year with new goals and motives. The Silver Ribbon Campaign is a mental health awareness program run by student leaders along with social workers Katie Fritz and Salma Hussein. The SRC meets every other Wednesday, their meetings often have guest speakers and other activities that the student leaders help set up.

The SRC is a newer community at South, and has grown a lot within these past years. “11 or 12 years ago… two students went to their social worker and said, why isn’t this a thing people talk about? So the beginning it was just the two students and the social worker. They got bagels and would hang out and just talk,” said Fritz.

She continued, “ I think that [the] first year, it grew a little bit but was still maybe just a handful, 5 or 6 students getting together. Then, it kind of became more of what it is today, maybe by the third year where there was a schedule of speakers, talks, and a student leadership group.” 

South is very unique in having a program like this, and it really benefits the students who participate. “Groups like this don’t exist in lots of places. It’s important because it both provides opportunity for communities… and just gives students a place to learn about mental health and wellness, hopefully then to breakdown stigma as people are talking about these kinds of things,” said Fritz. 

Lila Algood is one of the student leaders that helps run the SRC. Algood is very passionate about this program and she feels that it is very important to have a group like this in schools. “I think it’s really important because there is a lot of stigmatism around mental health… there’s still so much in the media,” says Algood. She also thinks that their meetings and talks are very valuable. “I feel like every talk is memorable in its own.” 

This year, the SRC is shifting its goals from previous years. “One thing we’re working really hard this year is to not just have the talks and the focus be on diagnosed mental health problems or mental illnesses but really focusing on ways that we can all be healthy and take care of ourselves and proactively do things that support health and wellness,” said Fritz. “[We’re] looking more globally at what does mental health mean and when we talk about it, not just thinking about people who are really struggling but making it universal,” says Fritz, explaining their new universal perspective.

The SRC has made a very big impact on many students, and continues to make a difference in their lives. “The first time I was a leader at a meeting I actually spoke, and I talked about some really deep stuff that happened to me like being hospitalized and assault and crazy stuff. I remember that stuck out a lot,” said Algood. The SRC and their talks continue to make a big difference in the community every day.