Laurel Mayor Johnny Magee signed a proclamation declaring March 25th, 2024 as TALK It Out/DANCE It Out Day in support of Miss Jones County's Teen 2024 of Poplarville, MS, Kyla Pohlmann, and her platform.
“My platform is called TALK It Out/DANCE It Out where I shine a light on our overlooked stigma of mental health in all generations,” stated Pohlman.
“I started my platform with how I use dance as a positive outlet for anxiety and depression. I also like to target children as well as adults for theirs.
“I have two acronyms that I can help people understand how they can deal with their problems. One is called TALK and it’s:
Tune in for success,
Acknowledge the situation,
Let someone help, and
Kindness is key.
“Then my other one is DANCE, and it’s:
Determine the problem,
Acknowledge and Accept all feelings and emotions as valid,
Notice the warning signs,
Choosing healthy food options, and
Exercising and Eliminating toxic thoughts.
“These two acronyms help students as well as even older generations realize that we need to determine the problem and how we can help benefit from our situations. I also like teaching the three/three/three rule, which is three things you can hear, three things you can see, and three things that you can touch. This helps people come back down to earth when they’re having maybe an anxiety attack or just don’t know what’s going on in their body. I like shining a light with all generations to figure out our mental problems.”
She also shared what it meant to be recognized by Mayor Magee.
“It’s a really big accomplishment for me. I’m only fifteen, so I feel like this accomplishment, especially from my generation, is teaching that even at a young age of fifteen, young women can become so powerful.”
Dance has been a major part of Pohlmann’s life, and she plans on studying it even further later on in college.
“I will be going into dance choreography with my dance teacher. She was the one who told me that dance is a great outlet for your anxiety, so I want to help other children with that. I started at the age of three, so I’ve been dancing for a really long time.”
The proclamation signed by Mayor Magee reads as follows:
“WHEREAS, Miss Kyla Pohlmann has been named Miss Jones County's Teen 2024 and wishes to promote mental health awareness through her platform TALK It Out/DANCE It Out; and
WHEREAS, according to the National Institutes of Health, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States affecting 38 percent of teen girls and over forty million adults; and
WHEREAS, Miss Pohlmann believes staying fit is essential not only for physical health but also for mental health and has used her passion for dance and gymnastics to keep herself physically and mentally healthy and fit; and
WHEREAS, through her TALK It Out/DANCE It Out program, Miss Pohlmann plans to promote movement and dance as a way to help her peers and all generations cope with anxiety, stress, depression and overwhelming emotions; and
WHEREAS, as a way to talk to students, Miss Pohlmann has developed two acronyms: TALK which stands for Tune in for success, Acknowledge the situation, Let someone help, Kindness is key, and DANCE which stands for Determine the problem, Accept thoughts, emotions, and feelings as valid, Notice the warning signs, Choose healthy food options, Exercise, Eliminate toxic thoughts; and
WHEREAS, Miss Pohlmann's goal is to help people realize that they are seen, loved and worth helping and that they can overcome the issues they face
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Johnny Magee, Mayor of the City of Laurel, do hereby declare, March 25, 2024, as
TALK It Out/DANCE It Out Day
and encourage all citizens to join me in supporting Miss Pohlmann's mission to promote mental health awareness and spread positivity through her reign as Miss Jones County's Teen.”
