Issaquah High School will host the first of three planned mental health conferences on Saturday.

The first State of Mind “mini-conference” will take place noon to 4 p.m. March 19. Other conferences will take place April 2 at Liberty High School and April 23 at Skyline High School.

The conferences, organized by the Issaquah Schools Foundation’s Healthy Youth Initiative and the city of Issaquah’s Youth Advisory Board, will discuss the subject of youth mental health.

In the 2014 Healthy Youth Survey, Issaquah School District students were found to experience depression at higher rates than the Washington state average.

“Stress, anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide are higher among today’s students than ever before,” event co-organizer Erika Kumar said. “It was really important for the Issaquah Youth Advisory Board and the Healthy Youth Initiative to provide information that students, parents, teachers and other adults can use in changing our community environment to better address the challenges facing today’s youth.”

Issaquah High School alumna Lauren Davis will be the keynote speaker for the State of Mind conferences.

Davis is the director of school and campus programs for Forefront, a suicide prevention program at the University of Washington School of Social Work. At Issaquah High, Davis founded Students Opposing Suicide in response to the death of a friend and classmate.

“We are thrilled to have a keynote speaker of Ms. Davis’ caliber,” Youth Advisory Board student leader Sophie Marts said.

The State of Mind conferences are free. Attendees can register at HealthyYouthInitiative.org. Questions can be sent to Barbara de Michele, barb@isfdn.org or 206-898-5210.