26 APRIL 2024 By Tiffany Gonzalez Teenage mental health is an unrelieved crisis across the globe, as teens are struggling with conditions related to a variety of topics. Because of this, younger kids often need help to find a resource to turn to when speaking about their feelings and experiences. This is where I Am Teen Strong, a website developed by Valley mom Sherry Eklund, comes in. I Am Teen Strong was established in June 2018 and is dedicated to supporting teens and their families, especially those in a mental health crisis. “I was involved in the Chamber of Commerce at the time and learned about a lot of specific events within the community – like how, in 2017, Arizona had extremely high suicide and attempted suicide rates,” Eklund said. “I thought I could help fulfill a need in the community by starting I Am Teen Strong.” Eklund noticed a need in the community, with teenage girls specifically, for support with mental health issues and eating disorders, body neutrality and positivity. This led her to reach out to the community and begin discussions with nonprofits and programs to discover what support these girls needed, ultimately building the website into an even larger resource. The site includes three essential sections: a directory of national, Arizona, and Colorado hotlines and helplines for teens and their families to access. The section contains resources on behavioral health, community programs, domestic violence, pregnancy, shelter, education and more. “The national directory of hotlines for teens and parents and our AZ-specific programs and resources allows me to be humbled by the opportunity to change and save lives in Arizona and beyond,” Eklund said. The article section contains regularly updated pieces that discuss trending topics and hardships within a teen’s world. Stories That Inspire is a section where women share their stories to help and encourage young girls that may be going through something similar. The website provides mental health and lifestyle support, encouraging young ladies to be knowledgeable, well-rounded and confident in all strands of life. The articles are developed by Eklund and a team of social workers, counselors and therapists who collaborate on what should be discussed, along with ongoing topics in the community. They discuss resilience, relationship boundaries, building confidence and positivity, essential job skills, and how to communicate well with your parents – and vice versa. “Kid causes have been my passion since I was little,” Eklund said. “My degrees are in education, and I always wanted to be a special needs teacher, but I realized I absorbed every child’s story into my own.” The feedback from I Am Teen Strong has been overwhelmingly positive since its debut six years ago: “Although the website is for teenage girls, I showed my son – who has been struggling with depression and severe anxiety. He tried to take his own life, but after doing so, called the crisis number on the website. I Am Teen Strong saved his life,” an anonymous parent told Eklund. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating this site to help kids. They have so many issues to deal with, and I cannot imagine what I would do if he had not called that number.” I Am Teen Strong is involved with Arizona school districts and the Scottsdale Community Coalition. Eklund recently received approval for 501c3 nonprofit status, which will help widen the website’s reach and increase content and programs to more of the Southwest region. iamteenstrong.com One mom’s website helps teens combat mental health issues !"#$%&'%#%(#)*%'*+% ,-../0&$+1 According to the International Dark Sky Association (IDA), it is a town, city, municipality, or other legally organized community that has shown exceptional dedication to the preservation of the night sky through the implementation and enforcement of a quality outdoor lighting ordinance, dark sky education, and citizen support of dark skies. Headquartered in Tucson, the IDA seeks to restore the nighttime environment and protect communities from the harmful effects of light pollution through outreach, advocacy, and conservation. There are over 2,000 volunteers and 70+ chapters around the world with a mission of protecting the night sky through education, advocacy and more. North America boasts the largest amount of Dark Sky areas at 32. Arizona has 12 IDA-certified Dark Sky Parks and six Dark Sky Communities. Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Flagstaff, the Village of Oak Creek, Sedona and the Thunder Mountain Pootsee on the Kaibab Paiute Reservation all hold the distinction. darksky.org By Mark Hays On April 8 at 10:30 a.m. – during a solar eclipse – a momentous event for Arizona and Dark Sky Communities will happen, as Fountains Hills plans to break ground on the International Dark Sky Discovery Center. The facility wants to focus on four main topics: education, research, preservation and tourism. “There will be activities for people of all ages: A planetarium with a variety of educational programs and a theater with videos that support the overall mission,” President Joe Bill said. “There will also be an exhibit hall that informs people of the importance of dark sky preservation and an observatory that is capable of public viewing and research.” The Einstein Exploration Station will be devoted to experiential, hands-on displays and creative learning experiences and challenges, such as the physics of light. The 66-seat Hyperspace Planetarium will use projection technology to convey laser-sharp images on a tilted dome. The Discovery Center will boast a 27.5-inch PlaneWave Telescope, the largest installation in the greater Phoenix area. There will also be multiple 11-inch Celestron telescopes on an outdoor viewing terrace. An event lobby, gift shop and snack station will be on site – and the viewing terrace can be used day or night. Bill said the center is at the forefront of a global movement to preserve dark skies and has caught the attention of people from around the world. “With sky brightness increasing 10 percent per year, it is not only important to help protect our billion-dollar astronomy industry in Arizona, but also to inform people how excessive light at night is adversely impacting nocturnal animals, pollinators, bird migration and human health,” he said. The complex won’t just be a Fountain Hills attraction, but an international attraction that can benefit all of Arizona. “Fountain Hills is the only designated International Dark Sky Community in the Phoenix area,” Bill said. “The town became the 17th International Dark Sky Community in the world in 2018. It is very rare to receive that designation so close to a major metropolitan area.” Because of its unpopulated surroundings and being shielded from Phoenix lights by the McDowell Mountains, Fountain Hills is sometimes referred to as a Dark Sky Oasis in the Valley of the Sun. The town even has a local Astronomy Club that boasts 600 members and various dark sky events. One year ago, The Smithsonian opened the Lights Out exhibit, and out of the over 200 designated international dark sky places (parks, communities and reserves) from around the world, it chose to highlight just 13 – including Fountain Hills. The town has passed ordinances for outdoor lighting to minimize light pollution and files annual reports charting town progress. The new facility has garnered a lot of support – including that of Senator Mark Kelly: “As an engineer and former astronaut, I am excited to support the International Dark Sky Discovery Center’s mission to provide STEM education programs that will help inspire the next generation in the pursuit of space sciences and exploration,” Kelly said. Eventually, the Dark Sky Discovery Center will offer tours, classes and special events. The facility is slated to open in 2025. darkskycenter.org The International Dark Sky Discovery Center plans to break ground in April. The site will feature a 27.5 PlaneWave telescope. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE IDSDC Arizona’s International Dark Sky Center Sherry Eklund