The Salt Lake Tribune reports that in Utah, suicide is the leading cause of death for those between 10 and 24. We are among the states with the highest rates of youth mental health disorders, and we have the highest prevalence of youth with untreated mental health needs.
And teen girls are experiencing record high levels of sadness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Tribune recently spoke with young leaders in Utah working to help. One of those leaders is Sarah Brown, assistant to the executive director and equine-assisted learning instructor at Bridle Up Hope. She spoke with us for this episode.
Bridle Up Hope is designed to provide a transformational experience for girls and women at a time when life has never been harder on them. They face relentless pressure to live up to impossible expectations—to have the perfect body, be skinny, be pretty, be popular, get perfect grades, be athletic, and so forth—which often leads to low self-worth, anxiety, depression, and related challenges.
Their Equine-Assisted Learning curriculum teaches girls and women to recognize their inherent worth and potential, and to approach life with correct paradigms of themselves and others. The program combines equestrian training, life skills development, service at the barn, and self-renewal activities, with principles from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People integrated throughout.
