Liu Qianshuo (first from left) and Wang Sitong (far right) discuss their proposal with their teachers. provided to teens
“We hadn’t seen each other for months because we were stuck at home due to COVID-19. One day, I heard that she was suffering from depression. At the time, I was surprised and curious about how such an outgoing person could become depressed,” Liu Qianshuo said. Liu, 17, is a Senior 3 student from Lishu No 1 Senior Middle School, Jilin province.
17岁的刘千硕是吉林省梨树县第一高级中学的高三学生，他说：“因为新冠疫情，我们困在家里，几个月没见面。有一天，我听说她患了抑郁症。当时，我很惊讶也很纳闷，为什么这么外向的一个人会变抑郁了。”
For the past year, he has helped one of his closest friends fight against depression by comforting her on WeChat and talking to her face-to-face. During the process, Liu found that the problem of depression wasn’t well recognized. Therefore, Liu and his classmate Wang Sitong decided to call for more efforts in understanding depression and more help for those it affects.
过去的一年里，刘千硕都在帮助这位好朋友对抗抑郁症，在微信上安慰她，还和她面对面聊天。在这个过程中，刘千硕发现抑郁症的问题并没有得到很好的认知。因此，刘千硕和同学王思潼决定呼吁大家进一步了解抑郁症，为那些受抑郁症影响的人提供更多帮助。
They participated in the 2021 Model Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) by submitting their proposal about preventative measures and concerns for depression. The Model CPPCC is organized by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China along with the All-China Students’ Federation. It invites high school students, college students and young professionals to “gain a deeper understanding of and participate in the country’s political activities”.
刘千硕和王思潼参加了2021年的模拟中国人民政治协商会议(CPPCC)提案征集活动，递交了推进抑郁症预防和关爱的提案。“模拟政协”由共青团中央和中华全国学生联合会共同组织，邀请高中生、大学生和年轻的专业人士“更深入地了解和参与国家政治活动”。
The 2021 event attracted more than 111,000 participants and 1,447 entries across the country. The two teenagers’ proposal was on the list of the 100 best entries unveiled in February.
2021年模拟政协活动在全国吸引了超过11.1万青少年参与，征集到1447件参赛作品。刘千硕和王思潼的提案荣列今年2月公布的100项“优秀/最佳模拟政协提案作品”名单。
This was actually the second time they had taken part in the activity. Their first proposal had focused on study tours for teenagers. Though having experience, they still found the new proposal difficult to make. The team spent their summer holidays studying academic papers and reports on mental health.
实际上，这是刘千硕和王思潼第二次参加模拟政协活动。他们的第一个提案聚焦于青少年游学问题。两人虽然已有经验，但还是觉得很难交出这份新的提案。他们的团队利用暑假，研究了有关心理健康的学术论文和报告。
Meanwhile, they carried out surveys. “This was the most time-consuming work,” Liu said. They walked the streets asking people their views on depression. They also conducted case studies through in-depth interviews with depressed people. “This made our proposal more convincing,” Liu said.
同时，刘千硕和王思潼开展了调查。刘千硕说：“调查是最耗时的工作。”他们走在街上，询问人们对抑郁症的看法，还通过与抑郁症患者深度访谈，进行了案例研究。刘千硕说：“这让我们的提案更有说服力。”
“I think the Model CPPCC is a good opportunity to give our views on social issues and a voice to people in need, especially on the topic of teenage life,” Liu said. “By participating in the activity, we truly feel our voices can be heard by our country.”
“我认为模拟政协是一个很好的机会，我们可以针对社会问题发表自己的观点，为需要帮助的人发声，特别是在有关青少年生活的话题上，”刘千硕说，“通过参加模拟政协活动，我们真切地感到，我们的声音会被国家听到。”
