By Angie Fitton

It’s the year 2024, and there’s still a lot of stigma surrounding mental health, but the students at Franklin High School are doing everything in their power to put a stop to that. To put it into perspective, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 10-34 in the United States. SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH. Let that sink in. For such a developed country in the world, so many people feel helpless, hopeless and lost; like they have no other option but to take their own lives. But, people like Tuhina Pal are here to let you know that you are NOT alone; please let others in. 

A Franklin High School Junior this year, Pal is the President of the Active Minds group within the school. The group meets at least a couple times a month and encourages all students to take part if they can. The schedule is available on the advisors’ schedule and in Google Classroom as well as on Instagram at FHS Active Minds. Pal notes they cover topics everyone can relate to, so as not to trigger anyone with specific hardships, which can otherwise be discussed one-on-one. 

“The Active Minds meetings are a safe space for everyone,” she explains. “We choose a topic, for example ‘perfectionism’, and keep it a little vague with room for discussion.” 

Pal states that she began to really understand about mental health during the pandemic, based on her own struggles. “I joined Active Minds knowing that high school would be a fresh start, and I wanted to be part of helping others with their mental health.” Her passion and emphasis on wanting to raise awareness and be a welcoming light is inspirational. 

Another great project that Franklin High School and Pal are part of is The Green Bandana Project. This project is to bring more awareness to mental health and to let others know they are not alone in their struggles. Anyone who is part of the Green Bandana Project wants to honor mental health and let others know that they believe mental health matters. It is a powerful movement where students will wear a green bandana on their backpack or around their arms or wrist and this is to let others know they are a safe person to approach, whether it’s because you need to talk about something in particular, or even if you just need a hug. 

“The Green Bandana Project is so incredible and powerful,” Pal states emphatically. She also says that those who wear the bandanas have a message of “I want to help. I want to support you in your struggles.” During the high school’s meeting, so many students showed up that they ran out of bandanas. “I was so moved when I saw how many kids were wearing bandanas the next day!” Where it may seem strange to think of approaching someone you don’t know when you’re having a hard moment just because they’re wearing a green bandana, Pal states “Sometimes it’s easier to confide in a stranger or peer than an adult or someone you are close to.” 

Every year, the mental health support group KyleCares, the support behind Active Minds in New England, meets with students involved as mental health supports. In 2024, they met at Gillette Stadium with over 550 students from 37 different schools throughout the state of Massachusetts. The goal is to get every school involved with these mental health support systems for teens and young adults. 

It’s about time we decrease the number of deaths by suicide, especially since they’ve been on an incline over the last couple decades.