Round 3 in stigma troubles

Actor Spence Moore II speaks at the Boys and Girls club Wednesday afternoon. Both him and his mother Tann More, a Valencia-based licensed marriage and family therapist, discuss the topic: "How to handle the traumas associated with bullying and peer pressure." Eddy Martinez/The Signal.
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Notable musicians, actors and health professionals in the Santa Clarita Valley have spent the last three weeks addressing the stigma around mental health at the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley.

So far, Xolo Maridueña, a co-star of the show “Cobra Kai,” and Karli Webster, a contestant on season 13 of NBC’s “The Voice,” have each taken the opportunity to discuss anxiety, suicide prevention and other mental wellness topics.

The talks are part of a mental health series titled: “#NoStigmasAllowed Everyone Deserves Mental Wellness,” which aims to help children destigmatize mental health issues.

On Wednesday, Spence Moore II, an actor from the series “13 Reasons Why” and “Five Points,” was in attendance to share how to handle traumas stemming from bullying and peer pressure.

His mother, Tanyika Moore, a Valencia-based, licensed marriage and family therapist, was also in attendance for the third and final workshop.

Moore II said he first experienced bullying when he began middle school.

“I was going through changes in my body and people definitely harassed me for that,” Moore II said. “I didn’t really talk to anyone about the situation.” Instead, he’d just try to laugh it off.

“I don’t think that’s the best way to go about things,” he said, especially if you have resources or a support system that you can use.

Instead, he said to lean on your support system, which includes talking to your parents, friends and mentors.

“I don’t care if people are going to call you a snitch or say that you’re weak for going to somebody who will help you when you’re being mistreated,” Moore II said. “Your mental health is more important than anything.”

He told the audience that he wants them to be able to live a peaceful and happy life without having to worry about what people are saying or thinking.

“Take your power back,” he said. “Where you are right now, is not how things will always be.”

“You will grow,” Moore II added. “You will get better.”

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