On April 3, United Way of Central Plains and the Portage Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC) teamed up to screen "Connecting the Dots," a powerful documentary focusing on youth mental health challenges. The film, directed by Noemi Weis, offers insights into the struggles faced by today's youth. 
 
Mitch Tilk, the Local Immigration Partnership Program Coordinator from the PCRC, emphasized the importance of sharing these stories within the community. 
 
"It was pretty overwhelming. It feels like now, today, the youth don't really feel that they have that light at the end of the tunnel. The same kind of messaging that we were told growing up doesn't really resonate with them anymore. First, we have to listen to the youth about what their struggles are, and then we need to start rearranging some things about how our society works. But it felt very overwhelming to watch that movie, because it just feels like such a hard problem to tackle as a society." 
 
Megan Romphf, Community Engagement Coordinator for United Way, shared her personal connection to the film, noting the impact of social media on youth isolation. Despite a rescheduling from March 6 to April 3, the event drew around 30 attendees, showing the community's dedication to mental health awareness. 
 
"We appreciate everybody who shows up for these free events," Romphf expressed. "Because it's surrounding mental health and maybe people don't know what Connecting the Dots exactly is. But we're really hoping that we can bring this every year to the theater to just continue getting that mental health message out there. Making sure people realize that you're not alone." 
 
The event was a collaborative effort between the PCRC, United Way, and Prairie City Cinema, underscoring the importance of partnerships in addressing youth mental health.