Roswell teen uses basketball to fight youth mental health stigma
'Score for a Difference' raises $12K for youth counseling
A 15-year-old student who struggled with depression and autism is leveraging sports to lead the charge for youth mental health support across Metro Atlanta.
ROSWELL, Ga. - A 15-year-old high school student who has autism organized a basketball tournament in Roswell to break down mental health stigma and support area youth.
What we know:
Shyam Contractor turned his personal struggles with depression, bullying and isolation into action by founding the annual "Score for a Difference" summer event.
Contractor launched the annual tournament after his mother asked how he could serve the community.
The recent event at Central Park in Roswell raised about $12,000 for CHRIS 180, a nonprofit providing counseling services across more than 80 Metro Atlanta schools.
Contractor said he uses sports to bring young people together so they do not feel alone.
The National Institutes of Health reports that about 1 in 5 teens struggle with a mental or behavioral health condition.
What they're saying:
Cati Stone, President and CEO of CHRIS 180, praised the teen's dedication.
"It's all about making sure that every teen has access to the mental health care they need to be happy, healthy young people," Stone said. "When you meet a young person who is willing to take the time and effort to put goodness out into this world in order to help other young people, it says so much about him. We are blown away by how he shows up year after year to raise awareness for mental health, but also to do something about it."
Contractor said his past challenges motivated him to help others.
"I started doing this when my mom asked me what I could do to serve the community," Contractor said. "I thought of something because of the experiences I've had in the past, which is I used to struggle with depression... So for teens, they are more easily pushed around emotionally, and so we want a teenager to live the right life so they can progress that into adulthood."
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet announced the dates or exact format for next year's tournament, though Contractor said he intends to expand the event annually.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from quotes from tournament organizer Shyam Contractor, as well as CHRIS 180 President and CEO Cati Stone.