Rochester's School of the Arts hosted a mental health and substance abuse youth forum on Saturday.

Children, young adults, and their guardians got the opportunity to learn about mental health and substance abuse issues and some of the resources available.

The forum comes just a few weeks after police responded to reports of a student with suicidal thoughts at the School of the Arts in March. A 15-year-old girl in the midst of a crisis fell from a building before they could make contact with her. She died later that day at a local hospital. 

"We know what happened here, the tragedy that happened here, and the the question is how could we make sure we prevent tragedies like that from happening in the future?" Mayor Malik Evans said. "[We need] community conversations not just with the students or just with the parents, but with everybody. This has to be a community family conversation. That's what today is all about."

The forum was organized in partnership with several programs and initiatives, including Rochester City School District My Brother’s Keeper Fellows and the Mayor’s Office of Special Projects and Educational Initiatives.

Sparking a conversation is what 18-year-old Rochester City School District My Brother’s Keeper fellow Shahmir Ellis says can be a step in the right direction.

“A lot of people nowadays are used to just, like, dealing with stuff on their own and life and sometimes that's not enough," Ellis said. “Sometimes you need to have those conversations. You need to have somebody that you can extend a handout to, and that person to extend a hand back and tell you that you're OK.”

She knows all too well the struggles of mental health.

“It's a generational trauma,” Ellis said. “And being in the Black community, you know, we have a lot of the stigmas. I have firsthand experience with mental health issues. And, so, why don't we just talk about it? Why don't we have those conversations?”

“Who better knows what young people are going through than young people?” Evans said. “And we're also bringing in adults as well, which is pretty cool. They'll all come together at once, and then they'll break out into different, breakout rooms so you can hear the perspective of mental health, not just from young people. But remember, adults are also dealing with mental health issues.”

Organizers behind the event hope its efforts can create a safe space for open conversations about the challenges and its collaborative work can re-galvanize the youth. 

“They really are the drivers of a lot of the things that we want to see,” Evans said. “And you see that today when you see young people saying our issue with mental health. Adults listen to us, parents listen to us [and] create spaces for us so we can talk about our mental health. That didn't happen when I was younger, but it's happening now, and that should be seen as encouraging for a lot of people in our community.”

Officials also say that if you’re facing mental health struggles or emotional distress or need someone to talk to, you can contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline via call, text or chat at 988lifeline.org.