Katelynn's Story

Katelynn became familiar with the All In For Youth program while in Junior High school. Having had a good experience, she chose to attend Eastglen High school to access the program. She joined the head start to high school summer camp before school started. Here she learned about the breakfast club, an out-of-school program ran by the school's success coach.

She met members of the club and got to know people during the summer. This allowed her to feel more calm walking into her first day of school. "It was kind of scary my first day because, like any first day of school, there are all these new people that you don't know. It was scary but right away I felt very welcomed by everyone."

Before attending high school, Katelynn was dealing with the death of her Baba (grandma). She bottled up her feelings and had a hard time opening up. The life event hit her hard and sent her down a dark path. She developed depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Since high school, things have become better for Katelynn. The breakfast club made her feel safe. She felt she was able to let her emotions show. "I felt more comfortable going there than going to see a psychologist out of school," shared Katelynn.

Katelynn made many new friends through the club. Every time she walked in she felt like she had a place. "No matter who you are, what things you like, where you're from, you'll always find a place in the breakfast club."

Listen to Katelynn share her full story.

Recommended resources:

Overcoming Anxiety class

Living with Depression class

Youth resources

Schools and students resources

Support groups

Blog posts on handling mental health

Blog posts on self-care

Blog posts on trauma

Blog posts on anxiety

Blog posts on depression