Students Solving Problems

Students are leading the way to healthier communities here in Washington County. They are tackling behavioral health issues, including things impacting their mental health, the health of their school communities, and the health of their local communities. They are working through school groups, coming together to work at a county level, and exploring career opportunities. And they are doing it all through Students Solving Problems Program.

Students Solving Problems (SSP) works with advisors and students in middle schools, high schools, and colleges in the county to create space for students to give voice to the issues they are seeing and experiencing. The advisors support the students on choosing what issues to tackle throughout the school year. And then empower them to do things to help alleviate the issues. School groups are active in Fort Frye, Frontier, Marietta, Warren, the Washington County Career Center, Waterford and Marietta College. SSP groups also have the opportunity to engage with AmeriCorps members through the Corps for Rural Success and Health, Washington County Behavioral Health Board, and Ohio Teen Institute.

This summer Students Solving Problems sent four students to the international Youth to Youth conference in Columbus, OH. These student leaders included a rising 9th grader from Fort Frye, a rising 11th grader from Frontier, a rising senior from Marietta, and a 2022 graduate from Warren. 

One of these students, Baylee Vaughan who had just graduated from Warren, was also the summer Students Solving Problems intern. She attended as a student staff member. The other three students attended as student participants. And the SSP Coordinator attended as an adult participant. After the students participated in the conference and learned about student-led prevention and activities to build positive, inclusive communities, they came back with an idea for a county-wide event. Baylee, along with two of the other Youth to Youth student participants, two college students from Marietta College’s SSP group (called Marietta Mindset), and BB2C’s behavioral health college intern put on a day-long event, which they named, and themed after, Into the Upside Down.

Into the Upside Down was a truly student-led event. Twenty-one participants, mostly middle schoolers, came together to have fun, learn, and engage in community building mental health workshops, all led by the six high school and college students. Students also played games, sang karaoke, had a lunch talk and activity led by local counselor LeAnne Bates, and finished with a social event that included ice cream and cookies. Students talked about meeting new people, feeling welcomed and included, having fun, and discussing ways to positively impact their mental health as what they enjoyed about the event.

To learn more about Students Solving problems, email Heather Miller, SSP Coordinator, or visit ssp2careers.org.