Library’s SASS group shares positive mental health messages for teens

This month, the County of Prince Edward Public Library was pleased to be invited to participate in a youth mental heath fair at PECI, organized by the municipality as part of its Community Safety and Wellbeing work.

This fair brought together local resources students can rely on for help, information and more. Youth members of the Library’s SASS Club (Secondary After School Social) Club made recommendations for book titles about mental health and our display featured many of the titles.

The youth participants also worked with the Department of Illumination to create a cardboard display full of positive messages such as “be kind to your mind.” The self-named SASS group meets weekly after school at the Picton Branch Library on Tuesdays and new, high school age, members are always welcome to drop in. Weekly meetings include art projects, technology, and more – plus, of course, snacks and social time.

The youth’s book suggestions were varied and included both fiction and nonfiction. “Nick and Charlie” by Alice Oseman is part of the very popular Heartstopper series. Unlike other titles in the series, it’s prose – not a graphic novel or illustrated – in a very readable novella format. It explores the challenges when a couple is separated as one goes off to university and the other remains at home – a relatable issue faced by many young loves. The series also includes many other topics affecting mental health including eating disorders, bullying and homophobia.

SASS participants also recommended “I Want to Die but I want to eat Tteokbokki” by Baek Sehee. This book is a memoir translated from Korean and provides a look into the author’s conversations with her therapist about her depression and anxiety. The title refers to the popular street food tteokbokki, spicy rice cakes. As BBC describes, “this runaway bestseller was celebrated for normalising mental health conversations and its nuanced take on inner struggles – most notably, the author’s personal conflict between depressive thoughts and her appreciation for simple joys.”

Recognizing the many benefits of getting out into nature, the youth also recommend borrowing passes to Quinte Conservation Areas and Provincial Parks from the library. Conservation Areas in Prince Edward County include Little Bluff, Macaulay Mountain and more – find the complete list at quinteconservation.ca. The idea of “forest bathing” or spending time in a forest to promote well-being is increasingly popular and the youth participants identified the library passes as a free way to explore these green spaces. Our thanks to Quinte Conservation and Ontario Provincial Parks for making these passes available to the library.

These are just a few of the suggestions made by youth and of course there are more titles available at every branch of the library. Drop into any branch for recommendations and to discover additional titles. If you are organizing a local information fair and think the library might be a good fit, reach out to me at liz@peclibrary.org.