Two Pleasant Valley High School Future Business Leaders of America students took their idea for encouraging better mental health awareness to a bigger stage.

Lillian Erhardt, vice president of the chapter, and Briana Palmieri, treasurer, created the community service project, Mindset for Motivation. The project is about inspiring motivation and promoting mental wellness in students and athletes.

Erhardt and Palmieri said they think mental health has become a pressing issue, because it “isn’t addressed as much as it should be.”

Athletes themselves, the girls said the inspiration for the project came from a team conversation with their coaches about mental health and balancing school inspired.

They decided that message was something they wanted to share with other students, so they invited PVHS soccer coach Dr. James Shoopack to be a guest speaker and invited students to the special event.

“Dr. Shoopack was part of the inspiration for this project, and gave a very powerful message to the team about learning what we can and can’t control in life,” Erhardt said. “There was no better way of doing that than inviting Dr. Shoopack to continue speaking on this topic.”

The girls said the reason for focusing on students and athletes for this project was “to address the intense pressures and expectations that can impact mental health. Whether it’s managing academic stress, navigating social pressures, or coping with competition, the project provides a safe space for youth within their community. PV-FBLA wants to create a community environment where students can openly discuss mental health, break stigmas, and access resources for support.”

The girls have planned a second session with Dr. Shoopack, which will be at the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Student Athlete Character Council.

“This is for very select, invited student athletes from all local schools,” Erhardt said.

As part of this community project, the girls have also planned a positivity wall, awareness posters, anonymous compliments to strangers activity, a mental health mural by art students, Mindfulness Mondays on social media, and the high school announcements.

As “Mindset for Motivation” continues throughout the rest of this school year, FBLA hopes to continue to serve as a beacon of hope for those struggling with mental health challenges,” Erhardt said.

The project is the second community project the girls have done to help people improve their mental health.

“Our FBLA chapter has prided itself on helping a different group of youth in need in our community every year,” Erhardt said. “Last year, we focused on pediatric cancer patients and this year we are focusing on mental health resources for students and athletes. We hope that this helps teenagers be more open about addressing mental health issues and creates a more positive attitude about how we treat each other and ourselves.”