TOPEKA (KSNT) – A new mural in downtown Topeka is serving as a reminder that help is available for young people struggling with mental health issues.
State and local leaders unveiled the mural Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 815 S. Kansas Ave. in Topeka. The artwork features the phrase, “Your Future Matters More Than You Know,” and is part of a larger effort to raise awareness about youth mental health and suicide prevention across Kansas.
Brooklynn Sumonja, Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) Project Manager with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), said she hopes the mural encourages people to support one another and seek help when they need it.
“I hope when people see this mural every day, they feel inspired,” Sumonja said. “They feel empowered to send a message of positivity to those around them and to know that it’s okay to not be okay and to reach out for help.”
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The federal Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention Grant funded the project, which supports youth suicide prevention and early intervention efforts. According to KDADS, the grant has helped fund awareness campaigns, community discussions, training programs and outreach efforts across Kansas.
Kansas City artist Phil Shafer, also known as “Sike Style,” designed and painted the mural. Shafer spent just over a week working 12-hours per day to complete the piece. He said public art can help keep important messages visible long after a campaign ends.
“Public art is a great tool for addressing topics like mental health, because these murals or the sculptures that would maybe depict certain things, they’re long lasting and they’re ever present,” Shafer said.
Organizers chose downtown Topeka because of its visibility near the Kansas Statehouse. Sumonja said they wanted a location that would be meaningful to people across the state.
“When we looked across the state, we’re trying to find a very centralized location that would be meaningful to the state of Kansas as a whole,” Sumonja said. “And so we found downtown Topeka right next to the capital.”
For Shafer, the project also carried personal significance. He said he lost three friends to suicide this year, including a fellow mural artist. He hopes the mural encourages people to pause, reflect and connect with others.
“If my mural inspires someone to stop, think, have a little bit of a moment of introspection, that’s great,” Shafer said. “And I would tell anyone who is struggling with that to, you know, connect with someone who loves them or try to find someone who can listen.”
The mural sits in a pedestrian plaza across from the Evergy building and is intended to serve as a lasting reminder that support is available and that every young person’s future matters. Anyone who is experiencing a mental health crisis, or concerned about someone who may be struggling, can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 24 hours a day.
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