BYS acquires 'conversation bench' mental health project

If you're feeling blue on Bainbridge Island, there's always a seat of the same hue waiting for you.

The Tyler Moniz Project, a BI-specific mental health outreach program in the form of distinctive vibrant blue "conversation benches," has joined the fold at Bainbridge Youth Services. The project, founded in memory of a beloved class clown at Bainbridge High School who took his own life in 2016, is a low-barrier way for the community to seek connection and conversation.

"As the torch of TMP is handed over to BYS, our hope is that with each new bright blue conversation bench that graces the island, the legacy of Tyler Moniz lives on," said Courtney Oliver, BYS executive director and therapist. "Whether it's a simple conversation, or offering a helping hand, these connections contribute significantly to mental health."

BYS has committed to installing a new bench every April, Moniz's birth month, in local parks and schools. This year, the newest bench will be placed at Woodward Middle School. The public can support the project by participating in conversation on the blue benches or by adding a dedication to a bench for $3,500.

The project was founded in 2017 by Moniz's parents, Lee and Jeff. Since then, the project has grown to include a crisis counselor, a support group for those reckoning with suicide attempts, a scholarship, a scavenger hunt, ongoing conversations around youth mental health and at least 13 benches around the island.

Since 2017, the Tyler Moniz Project has been instrumental in bringing community organizations and service providers together to raise awareness of the emotional well-being challenges unique to Bainbridge Island youth. Particularly, youth experiencing acute mental health crises.

Through the "Conversation Bench" project, sponsored film screenings, community and online discussion forums, public fundraisers, sportsman scholarships and "Tyler's Treasures" outreach, the organization works to elevate the cultural conversation around mental health.

Moniz's obituary that ran in the Review says he died April 30 that year. He was a standout wrestler but was also a champion at foosball and Guitar Hero. He was a serious reader, enjoying the classics like "Treasure Island" and "Gulliver's Travels." He also was known to sing the theme song from the movie "Frozen" enthusiastically, and when he was young he guarded the fort his dad built for him with a tree-branch sword and a cape made from his trusty green blanket.