At Chesterton High School, the Natural Helpers program approaches challenges among students with peer-to-peer mentoring to make a strong support system. The group recently ventured on a fall retreat from November 9th through November 11th. Here, they revived over 30 hours in decision making and communication skills. Students definitely built a strong understanding of the major issues facing their peers and explored what resources are available to protect them. This special event gave members a chance to gain characteristics in empathetic listening, leadership, and helping others.  

The students and staff loved introducing Natural Helpers to the program. During their time away, they discussed ways to make a difference in the world. Upon the list of people who attended this annual retreat, there were several amazing leaders and facilitators who made a strong impact. We interviewed Jany Zhang, a rainbow leader who kindly helped manage the retreat. Let’s explore the fun details she added in order to explain how the team contributed to helping those in need. 

As Jany answered the questions we had for her, she explained that it was “really fun and enjoyable to talk with them all.” Particularly, she enjoys keeping the secrets of Natural Helpers sealed so people can truly experience it for the first time. She was exhilarated that they had forty new people attend the trip this year, passionate to keep growing Natural Helpers at Chesterton High School. We asked Zhang,”What is your definition of Natural Helpers, not as a club but what does it mean to you?” She described it as a team of people that discusses subjects like mental health, while helping peers navigate harsh emotional or mental problems. Overall, they had a really successful trip and Zhang was happy that they had more people contributing.