Regina high school students pulling all-nighter for mental health
Students at Sheldon-Williams Collegiate have a history of giving back by staying up.
Last year, they raised nearly $17,000 during their first Awake-A-Thon, where students stayed awake for 24 hours to raise money for refugees trying to learn English at Regina's Open Door Society.
This year, they'll once again be pulling an all-nighter, but they've taken on a new cause: mental health and youth suicide.
Awake-A-Thon 2.0
The students have partnered with Mobile Crisis Regina for Awake-A-Thon 2.0 on June 2.
Grade 11 student Jack Guthrie said the students spent months deliberating before they settled on mental health as their cause this year.
"We thought that was the topic that was most relatable to us as we're growing up and trying to fit in," he said.
Participants sign up in teams of four to eight, and each person must raise $100 to earn their ticket to the event.
Students will be in the school for 24 hours straight, from 8 a.m. Friday until 8 a.m. Saturday.
There are activities throughout the night to keep the teens going, including PlayStation 4 virtual reality, bubble soccer and laser tag.
Last year, about 100 students participated. This year, organizers are hoping for about 50 more.
They turn to family, friends and corporate sponsors for donations, hoping to once again raise over $15,000.
Suicide a real issue among students
Josh Anderson, who's also in Grade 11, said he's seen many people at school hide their mental illness with a smile in the hallway.
"With mental health, it's something that affects a large amount of people, especially kids our age who have a lot of pressure with sports, family, school," he said.
"I've had friends talk to me about maybe committing suicide and it's just something that's very serious that I think a lot of kids consider, which is really sad.
"We need to let them know that it's OK to talk about it and they need to talk about it."
While the themes these young students take on may be serious, Anderson said they are nothing to shy away from.
"I think when you have a chance to make a difference, you should take that chance."
The students are accepting donations from the general public on their website.
