Seven years after 13-year-old Abby Goldberg died by suicide in Shorewood, an organization founded in her memory has helped students around southeastern Wisconsin care for their mental health at a critical time, through the isolation of the pandemic.
Just a year older than Goldberg was, Hasana Dickens and Faith Knox started their freshman year at Riverside University High School last fall by logging into classes from home. Without seeing their friends and teachers in person, they felt their motivation slipping. Many students saw grades slip, too — along with their mental health.
“My mental health was a lot throughout this whole year,” Dickens said.
Looking to understand more about their own mental health, and to help other students, Dickens and Knox joined REDgen, standing for “resilience through education for a new generation.”
Since its North Shore beginnings in 2013, REDgen now provides mental health curriculum and activities for student groups in at least 20 middle and high schools. Some, like the Riverside group, just got started during the pandemic.