Young people are struggling with mental health issues, and for many, the situation has worsened over the past decade. About one in three high school students report A surprising number of people report persistent feelings of hopelessness and have considered suicide.
Blame it on the pandemic. Blame it on climate change. Blame it on hyper-partisan politics. Blame it on social media and the proliferation of smartphones. Whatever the cause, today’s teens make it clear through numerous surveys and anecdotes that they need support.
But nationwide, there are too few mental health professionals to serve a growing number of young people who could benefit from their services. Quote More than a third of the country lives in areas with a shortage of mental health professionals, with at least 6,000 additional professionals needed.
A range of leaders in government, philanthropy, and the private sector believe young people can be the solution to both challenges: They can provide help and resources for their fellow Zoomers (as Gen Z is often called) while also equipping them with the skills to be drawn to and succeed in careers in behavioral health.
This fall, at least 500 people between the ages of 18 and 24 who have just graduated from high school or college will Youth Mental Health Corpsis a national effort led by AmeriCorps, America Forward, Pinterest and the Schultz Family Foundation.
It will begin in four states initially: Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and TexasA year later, in the fall of 2025, seven more states are expected to join the program: California, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Utah and Virginia.
“It’s a really innovative effort to address both sides of this crisis by enabling first hundreds, and then thousands, of young people to serve in their communities,” said Rajiv Chandrasekaran, managing director of the Schultz Family Foundation.
Youth Mental Health Corps members spend at least one year working in middle and high schools, community organizations, health clinics, etc. The program supports members in enrolling or continuing in college to pursue a degree, and provides career guidance in choosing certification pathways and preparation and training for placement.
Because its members are still new to the behavioral health field, they won’t be working as therapists or counselors, Chandrasekaran noted. Instead, they’ll primarily act as “navigators,” helping connect their peers and close associates to services that already exist in their communities that they may not know about or know how to access.
“A lot of people don’t know where to start,” explains AJ Pearlman. Public Health AmeriCorps“Navigation and resource support to meet people where they are, whether that’s in schools or community clinics, is extremely helpful.”
Last year, AmeriCorps invested more than $260 million in programs supporting mental health across the country, a spokesperson said. In recent years, AmeriCorps applicants have shown an increasing interest in mental health and behavioral health fields, while at the same time, the demand for mental health services has increased. The Youth Mental Health Corps is being launched in response to both trends.
Currently, as a member of AmeriCorps Colorado youth make a differenceNelly Grosso, 24, is getting a glimpse of what the job entails as she works with an organization that will be part of the Youth Mental Health Corps this fall, connecting high school students with mental health resources, food banks, pro bono immigration lawyers and public assistance programs. snap And Medicaid.
Grosso, who identifies as a “first-generation American student,” says she primarily works with students who, like her, are the first in their families to experience the American education system. She has noticed that many students face language, income and resource barriers that make it difficult for them to attend school and participate in classes. These barriers also negatively impact students’ mental health. Grosso introduces students who are feeling anxious, depressed, stressed and angry to a variety of coping and calming strategies, but above all, she says she tries to help them remove the obstacles that cause these feelings in the first place.
“It’s really hard to ask for help…because [always] “You need to know what you need,” she says. “It’s easy to feel isolated and alone.”
Grosso created a packet directing her students to the many free resources available to them—”I’m planting a little seed in everyone’s brain,” she says—so that when they need help, they’ll remember there’s a long list of people and organizations out there who can help.
Youth Mental Health Corps members will act as liaisons with behavioral health services rather than providing support themselves, but the goal is for members to learn about the field and motivate them to start a career in the field by engaging with those services and the people who provide them, Pearlman added.
During their service, they receive a living allowance and Education AwardWe also provide training and certification to get you started on your behavioral health journey.
“This experience will help them get a head start on their journey to becoming trained mental health professionals in the future,” Chandrasekaran said.
Pearlman and Chandrasekaran call the mental health issues facing young people today a “national crisis,” echoing sentiments expressed by the U.S. Surgeon General. Revealed in recent years.
They believe that other young people in the same generation as teenagers and pre-teens whose mental health is at risk are enough to help them.
For example, cadets will experience first-hand what it’s like to go through high school in the age of social media, what it’s like to undergo regular lockdown drills throughout the school year, and what it’s like to feel like the future of the planet rests on their shoulders.
“What we’re really trying to do is bring together more people who understand what young people are going through and want to be invested in their success,” Pearlman said.
Grosso found that to be true from her experience with AmeriCorps.
“Nobody understands teenagers better than someone who just graduated from high school,” she said, noting that she uses TikTok and Instagram to connect with the students she works with at the Denver metropolitan public high schools. “It’s a great privilege to have at my age.”
But for Grosso, it’s a deeper issue: Raised by grandparents who spoke only Spanish, she felt like she had to navigate the U.S. education system on her own. Surrounded by peers talking about SATs, PSATs, FAFSA forms, she felt lost.
That’s why the film resonates so much with her, she says.
“My students are going through the same or very similar things that I went through in high school,” Grosso explains, “and I get to be that person that I didn’t have for them, and that’s really healing.”
