Youth are often a key group in armed conflict and in societies in crisis. Their potential as catalysts for change is great, but they can also contribute to instability.
They’re coping with a climate crisis, ongoing efforts to erase their history, school bullying, gun violence, and the COVID-19 pandemic. They need mental health care, and it’s time to provide it.
Resilience Training
Resilience training helps young people build skills to better cope with and bounce back from challenges they face in life. The training is based on a range of proven psychological techniques and creates a fun, safe and inclusive environment where participants actively participate.
Everyone encounters hardship and stress at some point in their lives. The harsh events can include trauma, serious problems or the death of loved ones. Resilient individuals learn to manage their feelings and focus on the aspects of adversity that they can control. They also develop healthy habits like exercise, meditation and healthy eating, which help them stay physically and mentally strong.
If you have low resilience, it can be easy to get stuck on your problems and fall apart. You may use coping mechanisms that aren’t healthy, such as drug or alcohol abuse. You might also lose interest in things that make you happy or experience an overall negative outlook on life.
Empowering Youth and Families
Many youth lack healthy parental guidance and monitoring, live in chaotic neighborhoods with gangs, drugs and prostitution, attend disorganized schools and have few, if any, wholesome friends. These risk factors increase the likelihood that they will make unhealthy and unlawful choices in their lives.
The National Safe Place Network (NSPN) is a huge organization that works at the local, state and federal level to ensure an effective system of response for youth in crisis. However, despite their enormous size and prominence, I can’t find any mention of youth voice or empowerment on their website.
Another great organization is the Youth MOVE National which has 77 chapters. They work to improve mental health and other systems that serve youth, for the purpose of empowering youth to partner with adults for change. They also teach youth about financial stability and community involvement. Their programs also help youth develop skills in self-esteem and relationships, communication and decision-making, cultural heritage appreciation, and community leadership.
Providing a Safe Space
In a crisis, many youth feel they have nowhere to turn. They may run away from home, ride with an unsafe driver or end up couch surfing. These experiences increase their risk of dropping out of school, mental health crises and human trafficking.
NSPN’s Safe Place program is an outreach, education and runaway prevention initiative that provides immediate access to help. Any youth can walk into a business or OVRTA bus displaying the yellow and black Safe Place sign to ask for help. Staff at the site will contact Kids In Crisis and a counselor will meet with the youth to discuss options and connect them with resources, such as shelter.
Depending on the situation, the youth can agree to go to a licensed Safe Place agency for counsel or they can choose to return home. Parents/guardians are not notified unless the youth consents to be connected with an agency for assistance. Youth who agree to go to an agency may be referred to Crisis Services programs or Transitional Independent Living.
Providing Personalized Care
There is no one-size-fits-all call to a helpline; instead, youth in crisis are assessed and connected with a care team that provides them with personalized support and guidance. These services are tailored to their needs, with a focus on reducing stigma, improving self-sufficiency, addressing co-occurring physical health issues and ensuring family safety and continuity of care.
Unlike adults, young people’s crises and mental illnesses are complex and evolve rapidly. They are often experiencing fluid symptom patterns and comorbidity and may not have the resources to navigate adult-oriented service models. They are also at higher risk of harm from their own behaviors, including substance misuse, suicide and homicidal thoughts.
A key feature of ACCESS Open Minds is its “soft entry” model, whereby a range of low-barrier services are offered, including peer and clinical support, community engagement and advocacy, arts and cultural activities and vocational supports. This approach, facilitated by the expertise of youth volunteers and peer workers, has shown promise in attracting and retaining these populations.