Try New Things! - A Youth Mental Health Ambassador’s Journey from Introvert to the Spotlight!
Cameron Varner – an 8th grader at Frankfort-Schuyler Central School District – is one of six Youth Mental Health Ambassadors working with ICAN on the next phase of our “Everyone Has It. Every Day.” anti-stigma campaign. Each student (as with so many people who have made a positive pivot with their mental health!) has a story to share, and Cameron hopes this will help other teens be empowered to try new things and change their lives!
Feeling Like a Background Character in Life
Cameron grew up watching movies and TV, and loved graphic novels and superheroes. He got good grades and was a quiet child, and eventually he would become a self-described introvert.
A day would consist of going to school and filling the afternoon and evening with TV and video games, as well as creating ideas for different movies or TV shows. He remembers feeling like a “background character” – like he didn't matter as much as the other “characters” in life. While he had friends, he didn’t have as much in common with them.
His First Experience with Mental Health
Life experiences brought mental health a bit more to the forefront as he watched others have rough days and struggle. His first memory of acknowledging mental health was around sixth or seventh grade when he started to notice when people would get sad. He had an urge to help them feel better.
Now, he thinks about mental health and helping others daily.
He thinks that children have it harder today when it comes to mental health because they are surrounded with a steady flow from social media of “perfect” lives from others. Being constantly surrounded by such curated stories can lead to a feeling that they need to be better to match those perfectly tailored photos and stories. He wants to let other kids know that they aren’t the only ones that may struggle with feeling that way. He also wants adults to know that children want to be listened to and understood and that at the end of the day they are just children and still growing and learning.
He loves the simplicity and straightforwardness of our anti-stigma campaign slogan “Everyone Has It. Every Day”. He also enjoys how random acts of kindness not only elevate someone's mood, but also his own!
From Background Character to Center Stage
To step out of his own comfort zone and break out of his introverted nature, he decided to actively step into the spotlight by trying out for a school play. This changed not only his circle and schedule, it also changed how he felt – including a positive uptick for his mental health!
His mother’s favorite Disney Princess is Belle, so when the school put on Beauty and the Beast, she encouraged him to join the play and he did. This was the first time he can remember doing something for someone else and enjoyed how it felt to brighten up someone's day! This experience introduced Cameron to a whole new group of people, a lot of whom had similar interests.
A NEW Typical Day
Now with a day full of school and play practice, the challenge became juggling all of his commitments, including NJHS and FBLA and keeping his grades up. Joining the play took him out of the “background character role” and with his new group of friends, he started attending school events and getting together outside of play practice.
He soon realized he enjoyed performing and the camaraderie so much he tried out for Best Christmas Pageant Ever and performed six sold out shows with the Players of Utica AND just this past play season, he performed in his favorite play yet – Rock of Ages at his school. He’s looking forward to continuing participating in plays, expanding his social circle, taking on new challenges and always improving the day-to-day mental health of himself and others!
Cameron’s Advice to Other Youth
“Always try the new thing! Take the opportunity when it comes to you - you don’t know what might happen, what new friends you may make and how many people may be there to cheer you on until you try.”