In light of our Men’s Minds Matter campaign, we would like to recognize a current club at an all boys school on the West Coast. Cubs Minds Matter, from Loyola High School of Los Angeles, applied to start a club this past August. Here is a Q&A with some of the Cubs Minds Matter student leaders:

[Image description: young men at a club meeting in room with beige desks, blue tiled floors, and multicolor posters on the wall]

Q: Why did your high school apply to start a Minds Matter club?

A: Our school applied to start a Minds Matter program because we wanted to spread awareness to our school community. Since we are an all boys school mental health is not usually talked about as much and we wanted to help spread the message to start change in our local school community.

Q: Has your school community been receptive to your club?

A: They have received it very well and we get a pretty good turn out at most of our meetings. We have about 50 signed up for our club and about 20-30 people consistently coming to meetings.

Q: Are there any barriers your club has come across with the stigma around mental health in your school community?

A: Our club has come across some barriers with the stigma of mental health because we are an all boys school. At first many guys were not as interested in mental health but we are trying to break down these walls and barriers and have felt that our school community has become much more open minded to the topic of mental health.

Q: What do you want other young men to know about mental health?

A: Something we want other young men to know about mental health is that sometimes the signs of mental health issues are not as obvious and visible as one would think. Mental health issues can come in many different forms and are not always easy to spot and we want to help our boys to become more aware.

Cubs Minds Matter “is on the rise and we hope to be able to expand throughout the year and leave a lasting impression on our school for years to come.” Let’s normalize young men looking out for and checking in on each other. Give the boys in Cubs Minds Matter a follow @cubmindsmatter.