March 20, 2024

Here at TeenTalk, we were devastated to learn about what happened to a teen in Oklahoma recently. Nex Benedict was at school when they were attacked by three students. Nex died the next day from their injuries. We want our community to know that:

• We are here for people who are struggling to process what happened to Nex. We are a safe space to talk about what happened and what you are feeling.
• When something like this happens, it is essential that we are not silent. Silence might cause others to feel alone in their sadness, anger or loneliness.
• Violence is absolutely not acceptable. Nex, like everyone, deserved to be able to be safe at school.
• If you feel unsafe, afraid, or lonely, you deserve a better situation. While we work on making a better society, we are here to listen without judgment.

Call us at 360.397.2428
Text us at 360.984.0936
Message us on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat @PeppyPenerson
Email us [email protected]
Post an anonymous message on our online message board at ccteentalk.clark.wa.gov/ask-peppy

At TeenTalk we know that now, more than ever, it’s important that we stand with our black community members against racial injustice. While we might look different on the outside, we are all human beings, so we’re here to treat you like the family we are. We share 99.9% of our genetics with each other, and while we may at times use that 0.1% to keep us apart, we have a lot of similarities worth celebrating and bringing us together. At TeenTalk we strive to spread love and good will, regardless of the individual. While we can’t speak out about the movement or the actions of different groups or individuals, we can say that we support the individuals in our community in their pursuit for unification as well as individualization. While bigotry is unacceptable, we are also a resource for anyone who wants to learn and improve themselves; there’s no shame in getting better! We want to be a safe place for youth to talk about the hard questions that come up and to challenge individuals’ biases. We understand that many of the unfair stereotypes and assumptions can be made purely because of the ignorance and misunderstanding of where they come from and the inability to identify those thoughts. It is valid to feel overwhelmed and it’s important to take time for yourself, and to remember that ignorance is not something that any one person is in charge of correcting. No matter how recent events have affected you, we’re here to listen and help however we can. It is up to the community as a whole to come together to help spread kindness and to help shape our society.