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Tatiana Zeigler

English 102

29 October 2019

Writing Project #1: Project Proposal

1. identify a problem in your community that needs attention;

I would like to focus on why is depression and anxiety such an issue at the elementary to

high school level? And more importantly, what can we do as a local community help?

According to some statistics found on NewportAcademy.com, “An estimated 3.1 million

adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in

2016. This number represents 12.8 percent of the US population in that age group. With an

estimated 2.2 million American adolescents aged 12 to 17 having at least one major

depressive episode with severe impairment. Only 19 percent of these teens received care

from a health professional.”

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2. demonstrate why you should explore this problem right now (exigency);

It seems very obvious that over the past decade mental health has been a prevailing issue

with our youths. The conversation of what has been happening to our younger generations

has been gaining momentum and helping many to come forward and share their experiences

which is helping so many. This buildup can only lead to a grander scale until we can find

definitive ways to help. Those who are influentially active on social media platforms have

also taken steps to help those suffering from mental illness to come forward and face their

illness in hopes of finding help and overcoming their problems. Most of us are very well

aware of certain celebrities including Kristen Bell, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Lady

Gaga who have battled anxiety, depression, PTSD and many other illnesses publicly. These

influential celebrities are known for sharing their experiences and are at the forefront of

social media in helping others defy the stigma that mental illness should be kept hidden.

They believe it should be spoken about as much as possible to help as many as possible find

a solution or help.

3. describe who your potential audience might be;

The potential audience could be parents, siblings, school facilitators, or friends who can

speak out to help any others who are in need. I’m certain that anyone who has lost someone

close due to mental illness wish they had known about their loved ones struggles and how

they can help them to stop this horrible outcome. For those of us in a position to help stop

this tragedy from continuing, we must look for signs in the early stages to help deter the

lasting and overwhelming negative impacts. With just a little more knowledge and a

willingness to take action, many can be saved.

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4. describe who might be affected by your research/work (stakeholders);

Those affected by my research could include students, victims and hopefully anyone

willing to look for signs to help. These victims should feel comfortable enough to come

forward with their struggles to seek help. Whether that help is in the form of a friend willing

to listen, a parent who needs to be more attentive, or a medical professional for an unbiased

opinion and to prescribe some medication to help with stability; these conversations need to

be brought to the surface and as commonplace as someone coming forward about a

headache. There will always be someone willing to listen and help as long as someone in

need is willing to accept they need help. Every person matters, no matter how helpless or lost

they feel. These feelings and depressive episodes will pass, and when they do they will have

their entire lives to find passion in a world full of opportunities. Those in need may even

grow up to be someone else’s savior.

5. propose how you might go about researching/learning more about this problem

(methodology).

For my research, I plan on visiting my local schools and getting information from

counselors, teachers, students and anyone willing to share more information with me. I

also plan on acquiring articles from the internet which have also done studies regarding

depression in schools and ways to help overcome and manage these issues. I would like

to incorporate multiple graphs and charts to help with the understanding of statistics. I am

interested in adding videos and pictures that could also help in the pathos of the project.

Scholarly articles will be my first step in acquiring my statistics and most of my valuable

information.
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Works Cited

Macdonald, Angus. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. American Psychological Association,

2019.

Monroe, Jamison. “Adolescent Depression in Schools.” Newport Academy,

https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/mental-health/adolescent-depression-in-

schools/