SIRPHA or Students in Rockbridge Promoting Healthy Alternatives is a student-led club working to spread awareness about mental health, underage drinking, and drug use. Due to COVID-19, the club was unable to have any events at the normal time but have recently held a Youth Summit. President of the club, senior Katlyn Critchley, helped organize the event.

“We want to create a safe space for individuals who need to let their frustrations and emotions out,” said Critchley.

The Youth Summit took place at Hull’s Drive In on April 29, from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The event was free for highschool students. There were booths set up around the area with activities and gift bags. Senior Grace Wanovich was one of the students attending the event.

“I don’t really know what I was expecting, but it was a lot better than what I could have imagined and it was a really fun evening,” said Wanovich.

This year, planning for the Youth Summit was more rushed due to the uncertainty of COVID-19, but normally, the event takes a sufficient time to plan so when one Youth Summit ends, planning for the next begins.

“I would most definitely attend another Youth Summit if I wasn’t a senior,” said Wanovich.

Now finished with the Youth Summit, the club has started planning for more future events. Now that COVID-19 cases are dropping, SIRPHA is able to hold more events.

“SIRPHA is continuing to explore new possibilities of holding events during the summer,” said Critchley.