Evelyn Yu on her Community Organization “The Hope Initiative”

Evelyn is the founder of the Hope Initiative, an online community organization aimed at destigmatizing and raising awareness for mental health by interviewing and publishing stories of those who have recovered from mental illnesses. Since starting this organization, she has written two research papers in this field: one on the affects of childhood trauma on the frontal lobe of the brain and a second paper on the affects of Fluoxetine on sleep cycles. She enjoys writing very much, and has won awards from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and is the current co-Editor-in-Chief for her school newspaper. Evelyn will attend Columbia University next fall with a focus on psychology and neuroscience.

Clique: The Hope initiative is such a great idea! What inspired it?

Evelyn: At a young age, I underwent a major surgical operation that changed my life and my identity as a ballet dancer. I was so passionate about ballet and even dreamed of becoming a professional dancer and after my surgery, I struggled immensely with self-esteem and depression. I overcame my struggles by looking up to people who also faced adversity and learning from them. Therefore, I was inspired to create an organization so that those who are struggling can read about other people’s stories and hopefully gain inspiration and hope towards their own road to recovery.

Clique: Tell us about The Hope Initiative!

Evelyn: The Hope Initiative is an online community organization aimed at raising awareness and di-stigmatizing mental health issues. As the founder, I interview people who have experienced and recovered from mental health issues and publish their stories onto the Hope Initiative Instagram platform. By doing so, I hope to inspire those who are struggling and educate people who are curious about mental health. By producing raw narratives of people’s journeys, I want to send a message of hope to the people who need it the most.

Clique: In you opinion why is it so important that we break down the stigma?

Evelyn: Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and 2nd leading cause of death among young adults between the age of 10-34 (CDC, 2021). These statistics are very concerning and with the prominent use of social media and increased academic related stress for young adults, mental health needs to be taken seriously. Many people who attempt suicide or resort to unhealthy coping skills do so because they feel isolated and ashamed of their feelings. By breaking down the stigma around mental health, we can encourage people to become more vulnerable and honest with their mental state and provide them with the compassion and understanding they need. We not only need to de-stigmatize mental illnesses, but also mental health in general. The more open-minded we become towards mental health, the more people will take care of themselves and seek help before a crisis hits.

Clique: What is one thing an individual can do in their day to day lives to help bring more awareness to mental health?

Evelyn: One thing we can all do to bring awareness towards mental health is by simply asking people, “how are you doing?”. Even if the person says “fine” or “okay”, we can at least provide an opportunity for them to acknowledge how they feel. This allows people to feel like they are seen and valued. By doing so, people may feel more comfortable sharing their feelings and processing what is difficult in their life.

Clique: Why do you think mental health is so overlooked opposed to physical health?

Evelyn: Mental health is often overlooked as opposed to physical health since mental health cannot be visibly “seen”. In many places in the world and even in the U.S., mental illnesses are seen as a “fake illness”. People who don’t understand the complexity of mental illnesses simply brush off people’s pain and may just tell them to “be happy” or “calm down”. When people act negatively or differently, which is a symptomatology of mental health issues, it is easy to react with anger or annoyance instead of compassion and understanding.

Clique: What is your opinion on mental health being very gendered? Would you say that is a problem as well?

Evelyn: Women are more likely to experience depression than men. Yet, men are about 3x more likely to die by suicide. While there are many reasons behind these statistics, one reason why depression is not as likely in men is not necessarily because men don’t experience depression, but because men are usually less likely to seek professional help. Mental health is very gendered, and that continues to be a problem in a world where men are expected to be “strong” and “emotionless” all the time.

Clique: How do you think COVID-19 and the pandemic has affected societies mental health as a whole?

Evelyn: Covid-19 has definitely had a negative impact on people’s mental health. Social isolation is a major contributing factor to depression and suicide. Due to the months of quarantine our society went through, people have become more depressed staying at home all day. The level of anxiety around our health and fear of contracting or even dying from Covid-19 rose significantly and still continues to be a source of anxiety for many people. Despite all of that, I think one positive aspect is that people have become more aware of their mental health and are seeking new ways to help themselves.

Clique: As you are going to be a college student how do you plan to take care of your mental health, as colleges culture is known to not value that?

Evelyn: As I enter into college, I will definitely focus on maintaining a balanced lifestyle between work, social life, personal time, and family time. I plan to take care of my mental health by keeping an organized schedule, so I know what days will be longer and when I can relax. College can be very stressful and overwhelming, but I also will make time for fun activities that will boost my mental health.

Clique: What has the process of creating The Hope Initiative been like for you? Have you learned anything through the process?

Evelyn: The process of creating the Hope Initiative was challenging at first, but very rewarding. I came up with this idea all on my own and as someone who is not very tech-savvy, I definitely had a lot to learn. I know that many people have created mental health accounts, where they post educational and informative slides. I wanted to try something different. As someone who is also very into writing and psychology, I combined those two passions into one—I interview and craft people’s stories in hopes of raising awareness for mental health. Through this process, I learned that it is totally possible to have many different types of passions, and still find a way to merge them all together. I also learned the importance of patience—finding people to interview was difficult, and having people cancel on you was even more difficult. But by being patient, I have been able to produce a few stories so far.

Clique: What are your future goals in terms of Hope Initiative?

Evelyn: I put a slight pause on the Hope Initiative since my schedule has been quite busy. Going forward, I hope to continue producing recovery stories and create educational mental health content on my page.

You can find The Hope Initiative on instagram @hope.initiative