Colts partner with Pike High School for mental health meet up

INDIANAPOLIS — On Tuesday afternoon, Colts players and cheerleaders visited with students at Pike High School.

The Jim Irsay family and the Indianapolis Colts are recognizing World Mental Health Day, which was October 10, with efforts over the next few weeks that shine a light on mental health.

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“It lets us know they care about us,” said Kailey Jackson, a senior at Pike High School.

The Colts' Kicking the Stigma campaign partnered with Bring Change to Mind, a national mental health organization with the same goal — ending the stigma surrounding mental health. Pike High School has its own Bring Change to Mind chapter.

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In high school, students are battling the stress of grades, athletics, and other issues.

“I’m a senior and going to go to college. I don’t know what college I’m going to go to yet, I don’t know where my path is going to take me,” said Jimquell Young, a senior at Pike High School.

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“We’ve definitely learned that mental health impacts anybody. It doesn’t discriminate," said Brett Kramer, the director of Kicking the Stigma. "We feel like high schoolers are normalizing conversations around mental health more than people my age or older ever could have dreamed of in high school."

The students made advocacy bracelets, wrote on a positivity board, and made stress water bottles.

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“This helps a lot. Just being able to hear everyone's story and the background they come from, it comforts you and makes you feel good inside,” said Young.