<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1PLxnk_1BBlZ3dE00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1PLxnk_1BBlZ3dE00" width="1280" height="853" ><figcaption>Wyoming gubernatorial candidate Eric Barlow speaks with local high school students at a Thursday event hosted at the Casper Youth Hub in the Atrium Plaza. (Tommy Culkin, Oil City News)</figcaption></figure>CASPER, Wyo. — On Thursday, a handful of local high school students shared concerns and hopes for Wyoming’s future with gubernatorial candidate Eric Barlow, and during the meeting cited topics ranging from public lands to mental healthcare and social issues.The event was organized by Natrona County School District 1 Trustee Thea True-Wells, and Barlow said he has taken part in several similar events in other Wyoming communities, including Gillette, Cheyenne, Rock Springs and more.“I think it’s critical to listen to the young adults because they’re our future,” Barlow said. “They’re the ones who are going to inherit the consequences of what today’s politicians do.”One issue that many of the students talked about was the mental health of Wyoming residents and a lack of mental healthcare resources. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Wyoming has the third-highest suicide rate in the country, behind Montana and Alaska.“One thing that needs to change is access to mental health resources,” Natrona County High School senior Marykate Lacko said. “I’ve definitely been able to see firsthand this year more than any other year how important keeping your mental health in check is. … We’re really focused here on what’s our next step — going to college [and] going into the workforce — but the reality is that when kids aren’t doing well, they aren’t focused on that.”Fellow NCHS senior Ella Kramer agreed, adding that many in Wyoming also don’t seek out mental health aid. She attributed the phenomenon in part to the mentality of picking oneself up by the bootstraps that she said many in the state adhere to.The perceived lack of third spaces also plays a role in the state’s mental health crisis, NCHS’s Christopher Wells said.“There’s a lack of spaces outside of school that kids can go to find their community,” he said. “You have to either go out and significantly look for them — which is a really hard thing for most people who are already struggling — or just not get it at all.”Kelly Walsh High School senior Kinley Porter said generational disconnects can leave Wyoming youth feeling isolated and exacerbate problems.“We can feel like we have to almost perform for the social norms,” she said. “Then we feel like we can’t be seen for who we really are or accepted in our communities.”Brinnan Heaton, a student at NCHS, said she believes many in the community are only welcoming to certain demographics but hostile to others. Wells echoed the sentiment, and shared a story where a transgender student allegedly left the school after facing widespread bullying and humiliation that he said was met with “public acceptance.”On the topic of mental health, Barlow noted the role that social media can play in depression and other mental health issues for teenagers, and asked if the teenagers thought the school district’s ban of cellphones during school hours helps alleviate those issues.However, students responded that forbidding cellphones during school hours isn’t a solution since it doesn’t stop them from using their phones outside of school. Wells added that he believes the role social media plays in mental health problems has been overstated.“I think it’s kind of a scapegoat to not address the real underlying problems that create the issue,” Wells said. “It’s not the problem, it’s a multiplier to the problem.”When discussing other issues affecting Wyoming students, Lacko pointed to the school lunch debt as a problem in Natrona County’s schools. saying hunger can prevent students from performing at their best. “As of right now, the state of Wyoming gives no money for school lunches,” Barlow said. “The money that is allocated for school lunches is actually done by your school board out of the money they get from the state.”School funding was another topic of discussion. At the high school level, Heaton referenced the Speech and Debate team at Rock Springs High School, which she said is unable to send students to national competitions despite having several of them qualify. Looking at higher education, she added that the Wyoming legislature’s recent funding cuts to the University of Wyoming played a role in her decision to attend college outside of Wyoming.Multiple students argued that the state could be doing more to live up to its moniker as the Equality State.“I would hope that the next generation of leaders actually takes time to contemplate and understand other people’s beliefs alongside their own,” NCHS student Viviana Deurloo said.Wells agreed with the sentiment, and said he’s seen a “lack of empathy” in the state government.Deurloo also pointed to reproductive rights as a key issue for her and other young women.“One of the biggest things I dislike about Wyoming is the lack of security when it comes to whether or not women should be able to make their own decisions concerning their own body,” she said. “The fact that my reproductive system and biological rights are up for debate is what worries me.“Once women’s basic healthcare is no longer a topic that leaders in Wyoming feel like they have the right to restrict or take away, I would probably feel a lot better and more open to the idea of staying here.”Deurloo went on add that the majority of the legislators voting on reproductive rights are men.“When the women have equal, 50% say in government, then we’ll have progressed to where we say we are,” Porter added.Outdoor recreation opportunities and public lands were another point of discussion, with multiple students saying they believe it’s one of the state’s most important assets.NCHS student Jude Larsen added that, in lieu of traditional third spaces, the outdoors serve as one for many Wyomingites.“I love the outdoors, and at least for me it’s where the community happens,” he said.“I really like the openness of our land and how you can see the mountain from almost anywhere,” Deurloo added. “I also like the wildlife and all the hiking trails we have.”After the meeting, True-Wells said she was impressed with how well the attendees voiced their concerns, and added that she was thankful to Barlow for meeting with them.</div></body>

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CASPER, Wyo. — On Thursday, a handful of local high school students shared concerns and hopes for Wyoming’s future with gubernatorial candidate Eric Barlow, and during the meeting cited topics ranging from public lands to mental healthcare and social issues. The event was organized by Natrona County School...

Natrona County students share concerns with gubernatorial candidate at Thursday event

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CASPER, Wyo. — On Thursday, a handful of local high school students shared concerns and hopes for Wyoming’s future with gubernatorial candidate Eric Barlow

Natrona County students share concerns with gubernatorial candidate at Thursday event

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