"State of Mind" Mental Health Project

In an effort to spark deeper conversations among youth voices around mental health in Montana communities, a University of Montana based team visited the Polson High School library this April as part of a four-part interactive program called State of Mind from the Co-Lab for Civic Imagination. The project aims to reduce the stigmas surrounding mental health and promote stronger support networks across generations.

Hosted through the Co-Lab—an organization focused on civic engagement through storytelling and performance—the program included a daytime student workshop then an adult workshop, followed by a public play and a morning recap meeting open to all community members. 

In the student workshop, students were asked to reflect on their experiences, challenges, and hopes in the community of Polson. They organized these experiences into theoretical musical albums in order to spark conversations about life in Polson as teenagers. For example, they came up with song titles such as “Parking Lot Blues”, “Lake Day”, “Walmart Fashion”, and “Rumors.” The students then worked together to conceptualize ways they would feel supported by adults and the community as a whole. Sophomore Greta Lund said “I think it was beneficial to share about how we feel about the options and help we have in the community.” The responses from the student workshop were shared anonymously with the adult session, provoking emotional reactions according to project director Michael Rohd.

“In small towns, people talk about how great it is that everyone knows each other—but also how hard that can be when you’re struggling,” Rohd said. “And a lot of students tell us they see adults around them struggling with their mental health but not seeking help. Students seem to want to see the adults in their lives model that it’s okay to reach out.”

The final morning meeting in Polson offered a space for community members to plan the next steps—whether it’s continuing discussions, creating support groups, or building connections across age groups. The team also hopes to launch student-led Zoom discussions that link young people from different towns. “Young people often know what works and what doesn’t in their communities,” he said. “If we want to create real change, we need to listen.”

Two key conversation topics have emerged as the State of Mind team travels through Montana’s rural and reservation communities: the importance of adults being role models for emotional strength and the realities of the close knit nature of small-town life. Polson was one of over twenty Montana communities to host the project and one of the bigger schools on the tour. Almost the entire Polson High School staff showed up to participate in the adult workshop, band director and leadership teacher Richard Sawyer said, “It was a great evening, we got to choose our own adventure while being led through eight different scenarios. We were surprised by a few of the student responses.”

State of Mind visited Carter County High School in Ekalaka, Montana, a town in southeastern Montana with a population of 412 and a high school of only 37 students. That night, 12% of the entire community came to the afternoon performance.