By Grade 8, Wellesley students report life stressful (20%), including suicide attempts (2%)
A simple dinner discussion illustrated why Rotary sponsors the Peer Leadership and Depression Prevention project. Wellesley residents hosted a dinner with a visitor from India helping the Rotary project there, Ramnath Subba Siddi. We learned that for the Massachusetts grade 8 population, Wellesley has high rates of stress and suicide attempts, reported by students at 20% and 2%, respectively. Rotary's teen club , Interact, co-facilitates curricula to community groups and school grades around Wellesley that develop awareness and protective coping skills that can prevent depression.
The same project launched in India through Rotary communities there. Southern rural India has some of the highest suicide rates in the world. In the photo, Ramnath is flanked on the left by Dr. Pash Obeng and on the right by Dr. Henri Fouda; Marguerite Chatelier-Fouda stands next to Nancy Anthony and Bob Anthony.
Ramnath is visting Wellesley through December 20. The statistics of mental health and wellness in the two locations were part of a dinner conversation in the Chatelier-Fouda home to spark ideas of how to improve wellness and life in general for youth in Wellesley and in Yellapur, India. Ramnath is helping the Rotary project for Peer Leadership and Depression Prevention in Karnataka, India. He works with 500 youth from about 50 communities there.
