May 31, 2022

In a world that feels as though compromise is fleeting and empathy is under siege, there is one universally acknowledged truth if you work with or have children: the lived experience of our youngest generation is more complex than ever before. We have seen rising evidence of this fact for well over a decade in our schools, doctor’s offices, and even in emergency rooms. Recently, OHSU researchers found a startling increase in suicide attempts by pre-teen children (aged 10-12) nationwide. When coupled with several other concerning data points during the pandemic, it is abundantly clear that societally we need to focus on the wellbeing of our children more than ever. The question that continues to divide our society and many professionals is why. How have we gotten to this point, and, perhaps more importantly, what can we do to combat this alarming trend affecting our children? La Jolla Country Day School and Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, CA, are combining efforts to seek not only answers to this question but, hopefully, solutions. 

As with any complex problem, we must start at the beginning. We are asking ourselves what societal trends, individual factors, and…