Breaking the Cycle: Solving the Rising Mental Health Crisis with High School kids

Written By mathew blades

LFPWLI: Breaking the Cycle: Solving the Rising Mental Health Crisis Among Young People with Zahraa Alfatlawi, Founder of ZenDen

In this episode, you'll hear: 

  • Why Zahraa was inspired to start the ZenDen and what the group looks like today

  • The most common stressors kids experience

  • How Zahraa thinks the education system can do a better job teaching kids

In this episode, Mathew and Zahraa discuss generational cycles, the things that are stressing kids out the most, how she thinks the education system can do a better job teaching kids, and what she is doing to help solve the problems she sees around her. Zahraa is a high-performing student herself who connects with the pressure put on young people by their parents, school, and themselves, which increases stress and can lead to burnout. She is a big believer in strong community structures that help improve both mental and physical health because they are so closely related, and she knows that a student-to-student connection is inherently different from an adult-to-student connection. She also felt like there was no real outlet for her to express her anxieties, find connections, or get resources, which is why she founded ZenDen. She runs meetings for her group every Wednesday, where she strives to create a relaxed environment for students to focus on their commonalities. By discussing the highs and lows of the week, she is fostering a community that helps kids feel more connected and less alone in their struggles.

Zahraa Alfatlawi is a senior at Central High School in the Phenix Union School District. She founded ZenDen as a sophomore when her class returned to school after the pandemic, and she felt like she had to do something about the rising mental health crisis she was seeing in her peers. As a first-generation Arab-American and the youngest of five children in a family that fled Iraq in 2005, Zahraa has witnessed firsthand the mental health struggles her family experienced when they were in survival mode. They had to focus on issues like where they would be living and how they would get food on the table, leaving little time or resources to take care of their mental and wellness needs. Zahraa can feel the energy of the mental health and wellness crisis among young people. She is interested in pursuing a career in healthcare and psychology to continue her work of breaking down barriers and stigmas that prevent people from talking about important things.

“The first step to change is addressing the problem.”

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