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On October 8, 2015, selected students from the high school Aevidum group participated in the Imagine Aevidum event.

The Imagine Aevidum event consisted of different schools’ Aevidum groups, and the ideas that they had. The students that went on the trip had the opportunity to learn some of the awesome ideas that the other groups had. They now have many more ideas that can be used to benefit our Aevidum group and help us plan some more activities for the school.

There were also students who shared their own stories about their bullying experiences, anxiety and depression journeys, and their suicidal thoughts and what they themselves did to get better.  At the end of the day, all of the students received Aevidum t-shirts. They were black and yellow, and had the meaning of Aevidum; I’ve got your back, spread across the back with a palm print under the saying.

The event’s guest speaker’s name was Melissa Hopely. She suffered from depression and anxiety since she was in her teens. She had a serious mental illness and felt as if she was battling it alone. Melissa talked about how no matter what you are going through; there is always someone there to lend you a helping hand. You are never alone. Melissa Hopely’s book, called The People You Meet in Real Life, is about   her personal story and the amazing first-hand stories of people she has found inspiration and hope from along her journey. If you want to more about Melissa Hopely, you can visit her website.

At the Imagine Aevidum event, “vendors” also talked about the effects that anxiety and depression have on a person’s life. They discussed with the participants what the signs of mental illness are and how to recognize them in themselves and others. The vendors also talked about how you can get help for anxiety and depression, whether or not it’s for you or for a friend. But the main thing that the vendors discussed with the students is that there are other options for dealing with your pain than suicide, the temporary solution. You could talk to a trusted adult about the way you feel, you could write all you feelings down in a journal and share them with someone you trust, or you could talk to your school guidance counselor about what the best way to deal with your feelings is.

Much was learned by all who attended the Imagine Aevidum event.  They were able to share their genius ideas with other Aevidum groups, use some of the other Aevidum groups ideas for our school, listened to the speaker Melissa Hopely and her amazing story, listened to the vendors talk about mental illness and what do in certain situations, listened to personal accounts from students their age on bullying and mental illness, and received t-shirts at the end.