When Kids Learn to Speak Up, Something Shifts

Chad Dunlap engages with high school students during a school assembly 

There's a moment that happens in schools across the country that nobody talks about enough.

A student is sitting in class, overwhelmed, hurting, and completely convinced that no one around them feels the same way. They carry that weight in silence, through the lunch line, through the hallways, through the ride home. They don't say a word, because they don't have the words, or because they're afraid of what happens if they use them.

Most adults in their lives have no idea.

That silence is one of the most common and most dangerous parts of the youth mental health crisis we're living through right now. And it's why teaching young people to speak up, not just in front of a room but about their own inner lives, is one of the most meaningful things a community can do for its kids.

The Connection Most People Miss

When we think about public speaking, we think about presentations and debate class and job interviews. Mental health and public speaking don't typically land in the same sentence.

But they're deeply connected.

Learning to put words to your experience to say "this is what I went through" or "this is how I felt" requires a kind of courage that isn't built overnight. It requires practice in environments where students feel safe enough to try. When young people develop that skill, something happens beyond communication. They start to realize their story has weight. That their voice matters. That they are not alone in what they're carrying.

That realization is where perspective shifts begin.

"I don’t go into schools to just give a speech. I go into schools becaus I know what it feels like to sit in that room and believe nobody else understands. The moment a student realizes they're not alone, that's not a program outcome. That's life changing."

— Chad Dunlap, Founder, Upshift Public Speaking, Inc.

What We See When the Walls Come Down

High school students raising their hands during a mental health presentation 

At Upshift Public Speaking, Inc., we've watched it happen in schools across Ohio and Indiana. A student who walked into a presentation guarded and disconnected raises their hand at the end. Another finds a counselor after the assembly. A group of friends starts a conversation on the bus home that wouldn't have happened otherwise.

These aren't dramatic movie moments. They're quiet, real, and meaningful.

When a young person hears someone else describe the exact feeling they've been hiding, something unlocks. It's not magic. It's the simple, profound effect of not feeling alone. And when that unlocking happens in an environment that encourages students to respond, to reflect, to eventually share their own experiences, the ripple goes further than one presentation.

It goes into how they handle the next hard thing. And the one after that.

What Parents and Communities Can Do

You don't have to be a counselor or a mental health professional to make a difference in this space. What you can do is advocate for the kinds of programs and conversations that give kids room to develop both their voice and their resilience.

Ask your school what mental health programming looks like this year. Find out if students are getting more than a pamphlet and a hotline number. Look for opportunities to support organizations that bring trained, authentic speakers into schools, people who aren't there to lecture, but to connect.

Because the research is clear: early intervention matters. Belonging matters. And having trusted adults in a young person's world who take mental health seriously matters more than most people realize.

Our Mission Depends on Your Support

Upshift Public Speaking, Inc. is a nonprofit. Every presentation we bring to a school depends on the generosity of people in our community who believe this work is worth doing.

Your donation helps us reach more students in underserved schools. It funds school visits for districts that don't have the budget to bring speakers in on their own. It keeps our programs accessible regardless of a school's zip code.

If you've ever known a young person who struggled in silence, you already understand why this matters.

DONATE

Every contribution, no matter the size, helps a student somewhere find their voice before the silence takes too much.

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Upshift Public Speaking, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Our programs bring mental health awareness presentations to schools across Ohio and Indiana. To learn more or book a presentation, visit upshiftpublicspeaking.org.