A teenager beaten by a parent as a child. A 24-year-old who spent most of her childhood "in the system." A 15-year-old struggling with sexual identity.

These are voices that are not often heard.

"Like water, my life is always headed downhill," the 15-year-old wrote. "Beautiful but sad. I always find the fastest way down and through the cracks."

Jennifer Hunter and Brenda Morgan came to Metro Coffee Company on their coffee break for a drink and to relax.

They said they always check the art exhibit in the back but said they had never seen anything like this before.

"I don't know what my reaction is," Hunter said. "I don't know how to put it in words. It was eye-opening, I guess."

The two women spent time perusing Metro's newest exhibit, "Photovoice: Giving Voice to Youth and Families with Mental Health Needs." The exhibit is made up of photographs taken by children dealing with mental illness and their written thoughts about their struggles.

The director of the exhibit calls it a research advocacy project created to raise awareness, reduce stigmas and give a voice to those not usually heard.

The goal of the project was to put children's images and stories out there, according to Kent Becker, director and associate professor of counseling education for the University of Wyoming. It's a project of the Wyoming SAGE Initiative, a federally funded program designed to improve mental health services for youth.

Children and families across the state spent several months snapping photographs that symbolize their lives and writing about what it's like to live with a mental illness. They were given digital or disposable cameras.

The teenager who was beaten as a child took a photo of a mountain.

"I had to climb to a great distance to get to the top of this mountain," the teenager wrote. "When I reached the top, I looked at the great distance I still had to go."

About 20 of the 40 children and parents who participated in the project have displays at Metro Coffee Company, according to Becker. The project has also been displayed at a coffee shop and art gallery in Laramie.

The projects came from children struggling in school districts, treatment facilities and foster care.

"Then some from parents who have had to actively advocate for their kids - some successful, others not so successful," Becker said.

One mother told the story of her daughter who has schizophrenia. She said the school district doesn't understand that her daughter perceives the world differently than most children.

She said teachers and others blame her parenting for her daughter's problems at school, when in fact they are a diagnosed illness.

Brenda Morgan was surprised people could share such intimate details of their lives, even if it was anonymous.

Another teenage boy in treatment wrote, "I know anywhere I'm at; someone's looking out for me to be a better man."

Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@trib.com.

If you go

What: An art exhibit called "Photovoice: Giving Voice to Youth and Families with Mental Health Needs" features children, their parents and their stories about dealing with mental illness. The exhibit is made up of images and personal narratives.

Where: Metro Coffee Company at 241 S. David St.

When: The exhibit runs through Oct. 6. Metro's hours are Mondays from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.; Tuesdays through Fridays from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. to midnight; Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon and 3 p.m. to midnight. Metro is closed Sundays.

For more information: Contact Kent Becker at the University of Wyoming at (307) 766-2366 or kwbecker@uwyo.edu.