Hello! My name is Natalie and I am a Junior in high school from Los Angeles, California. As I am in the middle of high school, I’ve had time to see what my generation is facing as far as mental health struggles. In modern society, we have been introduced to new resources, like social media and technology, that can worsen isolation among teenagers, which is something I have experienced myself. 

Although I grew up introverted, I never hesitated to be vocal about my community and its struggles. I realized I have a passion for helping others, and I was an advocate for doing it in a creative and intriguing way. I began to think about how I could create something to serve emerging adults who are lost and looking for a sense of community. I decided to start a blog for isolated teenagers who may be struggling with mental health. Youths could use my platform to share their experiences and their resilience. I want this to be fun and creative, so I will post calls for submissions for teens to share things like short stories, artwork, poetry, music playlists, and tips for self-care. As I am a part of this community, I want to pitch in to share things like interviews from mental health professionals and research papers. 

My passion project aims to ease isolation among teens, especially ones struggling with mental health and looking for comfort and connection. The goal is to provide community with each other. This should be a platform teens can look at to feel understood, to benefit from, and to learn from others experiences.