CLARKSVILLE, IN (March 7, 2023) – When the Clarksville Youth Council came together for it’s first meeting in 2022, councilmembers were asked what issues they wanted to address during their time in office. Several members of the Youth Council brought up the topic of mental health among teens and younger children.

Following that meeting, one of the first acts of the Youth Council was to use a grant from the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana to launch a “Mental Health Matters” campaign. The campaign included a poster contest in the local schools. Winning entries will be used to create posters for the schools with mental health resources for area youth.

To show its support for the Youth Council, the Clarksville Town Council issued a proclamation naming March 2023 as “Youth Mental Health Awareness Month” in the Town of Clarksville. Youth Council President Eva Wheatley, a student at Silver Creek High School, attended the Council meeting Tuesday night to accept the proclamation on behalf of the Youth Council.

“I am so honored to accept this mental health proclamation on behalf of the youth council,” said Wheatley. “This is such a huge deal for us and is just the start of our effort to raise awareness for teen mental health.” 

During her comments, she thanked the Town Council for supporting the Youth Council, and for working to get area youth more involved in local government. She says she and the Youth Council are looking forward to even more exciting programs in the future.