Teen panelists Prince Navon and Sebastian Bedoya Torres invite their friends to debate psychological well being after collaborating in a teen speak at Legacy Studio Saturday.
Gastonia Police and Legacy Studio proprietor Nathaniel Jones partnered to create an area for teenagers to specific what’s on their minds.
“It feels actually good with the ability to get all the pieces off your chest,” mentioned Torres.
“We wish them to have the ability to categorical themselves freely,” mentioned Jones, proprietor of the studio present in Gastonia’s Eastridge Mall.
Gastonia Police Officer Sgt. Shaunte Southern and Jones collaborated to launch the studio’s Teen Speak program in collaboration with Southern’s Barbershop Rap Session final Saturday at Legacy Studio.
This system permits teen panelists to debate matters of their alternative in a secure house. This system introduced Gastonia Police, Phoenix Counseling specialists, pastors, center schoolers and teenagers collectively to debate points that teenagers face.
The dialogue held Saturday was on psychological well being and hip-hop remedy.
“We talked about imposter syndrome and that was the primary time I actually realized what it was,” mentioned Torres.
Torres says the dialog on imposter syndrome helped him understand how a lot he confronted it as a former soccer participant at Ashbrook Excessive Faculty.
“It’s like everybody has this notion of you that you need to be excellent so you possibly can’t make errors,” mentioned Torres. “That made me really feel alone and depressed and it taught me to work on my psychological well being.”
Navon loved speaking concerning the influences of music and giving recommendation to the youthful individuals on the speak.
“The youth are simply inclined to a variety of issues and music has power,” mentioned Navon. “Everybody could not really go and do issues they hear in music with violence however it nonetheless influences your power.”
Navon and Torres inspired center schoolers on the speak to search out optimistic music influences to keep up optimistic considering.
“It simply appears like a second house right here,” mentioned Cameron Williams, a teen participant and sound engineer intern at Legacy Studio. “It simply appears like I can get something out and categorical myself.”
“I associated to lots of people right here and once I come right here, it appears like all of my exterior issues disappear,” mentioned Devan Bradley, one other participant and sound engineer at Legacy Studio.
Bradley and Williams additionally imagine that psychological well being ought to be taken significantly no matter one’s age.
After this system, most of the individuals congregated within the studio’s lounge areas and continued diving into extra psychological well being matters.
“It was cool and it felt like we have been having a kickback with our friends,” mentioned Navon. “We want that secure haven to simply kick it and be taught.”
The studio invitations youth between 13 and 18 years previous to hitch the discussions.
Jones says the studio plans to have the Teen Talks each Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning in Could.
The studio additionally plans to host auditions for panelist roles this Saturday. These are inspired to contact Legacy Studio at 704-215-6545.
Attain Janiya Winchester at 704-869-1842 or jwinchester@gannett.com.