Sing Tao Daily Article

Published on April 4th, 2025

International media platform Sing Tao Daily published a segment on Solis' Mental Health Conference on Apirl 4th, 2025. Below is the text of the article:

The Youth Mental Health Crisis Demands Urgent Attention From All of Society.

On March 30, with support from various sectors of the community, the Palo Alto youth organization Solis held a mental health conference at the Mitchell Park Community Center. Students, parents, educators, and policymakers came together to discuss the mental health challenges and crises faced by young people in Palo Alto, and to seek effective solutions.

“Solis Mental Health” (solismentalhealth) was founded by high school student Dolly Wu from Palo Alto after the pandemic. Her original intention was to help her peers who had developed mental health issues during that time. In 2024, a classmate from Gunn High School died by suicide by stepping in front of a train, which left her shocked and heartbroken. Similar tragedies have occurred repeatedly in Palo Alto over the past 20 years.

“Palo Alto has a difficult history when it comes to youth mental health,” she said. “After multiple suicide incidents, there has been more awareness and change.” However, she added that real efforts to support young people “have slowly lost momentum.” She believes that “the youth mental health crisis is far from over, and those who are struggling are nearing their breaking points.” On March 4 of this year, another student from Palo Alto High School died by suicide in the same way.

At the conference, Palo Alto City Councilmember and former mayor Greer Stone shared his experience of losing a childhood friend to suicide and called for systemic change. “We cannot let shame silence our children. They need us to listen and to act.”

Bing Wei, a commissioner of Palo Alto’s Parks and Recreation Department, helped facilitate the event. She emphasized the importance of parental involvement and cultural sensitivity in the journey of mental health healing throughout one’s life. “Asian American teens have long had the highest suicide rates among all ethnic groups in the U.S. With more than 40% of Palo Alto’s students being Asian, we need to do better.”

Palo Alto school board member Rowena Chiu (also known by her Chinese name Zhao Yunwei) shared her own mental health journey and her experiences participating in the “Me Too” movement. Born in the UK to a Chinese family, her parents had immigrated from mainland China to Hong Kong before studying abroad. She experienced racial and cultural struggles growing up, and therefore deeply empathizes with the psychological challenges faced by Palo Alto students—especially those of Asian descent.

She suggested pooling the strength of family, friends, and colleagues to help students experiencing mental health difficulties access community resources. She pointed out that many teens struggling with mental health issues feel “shame” and are reluctant to open up to their parents, making it difficult for parents to be their first line of support. Instead, friends, classmates, and school-based mental health centers may be more accessible sources of help.

“If you stay silent, the problem won’t go away—it might destroy you,” she said. “You should seek help from anyone you trust. Even if it doesn’t yield immediate results, talking and sharing is the beginning of healing.” She also noted that parents can have their own mental health struggles and need appropriate resources to cope.

Former Palo Alto city staff member and Olympian Anne Cribb, Nicole Chiu-Wang, Executive Director of DreamCatchers, Gunn High School teacher Laurel Howard, and representatives from organizations like Project Safety Net and Momentum for Health also participated in discussions about the importance of early intervention, peer support, and community-wide collaboration. Local nonprofits and coalitions showcased crisis prevention and mental health support plans and resources. Attending students joined in breakout discussions on social media pressure, academic stress, and more.

— Reported by Wang Wei in Palo Alto for this newspaper