Shania Charles knows all too well the pressure young athletes face when they head off to college.
Charles grew up on a small Caribbean island before heading to Allen Community College last fall to play soccer.
“It was very nerve-racking,” she recalled. “I knew I’d be all alone, and I remember I was afraid to get hurt. Who could I call? How do I learn to maneuver around the dorms? All of those things were very stressful.”
She adapted quickly, and soon became a solid contributor to the Red Devil women’s soccer team, scoring two goals in the last three games of the season.
Alas, her roommate wasn’t as fortunate.
“She got hurt her first week of practice and couldn’t play,” Charles noted. “She’d cry every night.”
It offered a bird’s-eye perspective of the psyche of a young athlete.
It’s also why Charles, along with her ACC classmates Alice Griffith of Chanute and Kadence Gragg of Iola, decided to make mental health for athletes the centerpiece of their HOSA group project this spring.
HOSA is a high school and college organization of future health professionals.
Allen’s group was at Manhattan March 26-27 for a leadership conference where Griffith, Gragg and Charles earned a gold medal for their work to spark discussion of mental health among athletes.
“It’s just to acknowledge that mental health is health,” Griffith said. “It’s very beneficial for athletes to know the different types of resources they have available.”
As part of their project, the trio visited at length with Allen’s coaches, training staffers and various athletes they’ve treated to talk about their experiences, and learn how they de-stress and cope with their injuries.
They also worked with Kindra Autry, ACC’s mental health counselor, who often works with the athletes.
On top of that, Griffith, Charles and Gragg developed an Instagram account — just look for “acc_mentalhealth” — loaded with messages of support.
They’ve also been in the stands to cheer on Red Devil athletes, carrying signs with simple but powerful messages like “you matter.”
“It’s important to get it out there, to make people feel like they’re not the only ones who struggle,” Gragg said. “We want to make (mental health) more of a talked-about thing.”
The effort has been well-received locally, and was good enough to win the threesome a gold medal at the state conference.
