As the curtain fell during the Lowell Sun's Special Report forum: Anna's Story, it was clear as this day that the time is ripe to come together and practice the old adage: “it takes a village to raise a child” because failing to address and engage our youth fails them and in turn the community suffers the consequences. I know there is the hesitancy that stems out of frustrations and grief especially when we see a young person pushed to the ultimate end and words during those moments, even the right ones never hit their mark.

Mental health issues are of paramount importance and it is critical that all stakeholders treat them that way. While school bullying emerged as one of the leading causes that negatively impacts even those teens with strong background support who show no signs, it is clear that teachers need more support, but the buck does not stop there!

Parents have a unique opportunity, God-given I should say, to work to circumvent the barriers that may cloud the warning signs. There is a very thin line, and Anna's story is proof, between what is considered just normal teen behavior and warning signs worth exploring further. It is critical that parents remain vigilant even as we seek to train more teachers because when all is said and done, we are the custodians of our children, who are in turn the foundation of our future.

There is need for a visionary approach to the rising trend, one that is not dismissive but inclusive of all stakeholders. This is a fight in which parents must lead from the front and with the support from educators, mental health experts and the government one which is worth fighting because Our Children are Worth fighting for!

Simon Ngugi Lowell, Massachusetts

This article was previously published by the Merrimack Valley's Newspaper of record, THE LOWELL SUN on Tuesday January 29th 2019

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