Skip to main menu Skip to content
expand menu collapse menu
Login Store Subscribe Donate Facebook Instagram

Empowering Youth Mental Health: Our Partnership with Team: Changing Minds

Supporting Youth Through Mental Health Awareness

team changing minds logo

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is proud to be a founding partner of Team: Changing Minds, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside Futures Without Violence, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and founding investor Harry’s. This initiative is designed to activate trusted peers and adults in young people’s lives — especially young men’s — to recognize the signs of mental health challenges and connect them to support before challenges become crises. 

Youth Mental Wellbeing Research

The research is clear on why supporting youth mental health is a priority:

10.2%

of youth will be diagnosed with a substance use disorder in their lifetime. (1)

1 in 6

youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year in the U.S. (2)

50%

of all mental illnesses begin by age 14, and 75% by the mid-20s. (3)

Our Commitment to Youth Mental Wellbeing

Through this partnership, the National Council has awarded over 80 Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructor scholarships to adults who are passionate about the Team: Changing Minds mission. They have hosted MHFA trainings in their communities on the partnership’s behalf, helping community organizations and individuals to: 

  • Recognize mental health challenges: Identifying signs of anxiety, depression, eating disorders and ADHD in young people. 
  • Respond to mental health crises: Understanding how to effectively support youth experiencing mental health struggles. 
  • Connect youth with resources: Providing guidance on accessing professional help and community support. 
  • Address key issues: Exploring the impacts of trauma, substance use, self-care, social media and bullying on youth mental wellbeing. 

Join Our Efforts! 

By empowering communities with knowledge and resources, Team: Changing Minds is helping to foster a supportive environment where young people feel understood and connected. In less than one hour, you can learn to identify, understand and respond to early signs that a young person may be facing a painful mental health challenge by training to become a Team: Changing Minds Responder! For a deeper dive, we also offer evidence-based Youth Mental Health First Aid certification training, a full-day course conducted online or in person. 

To learn more, visit TeamChangingMinds.org. 

Sources:

  1. Source: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/population-focused-modules/youth/ ↩︎
  2. Source: https://www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/mental-health-by-the-numbers/ ↩︎
  3. Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15939837/ ↩︎
  • Mental Health First Aid training has taught the officer to ask his charges, “What happened?” instead of, “What’s wrong with you?”” –Officer Orlando Singleton
  • So many people are out there wishing for something better, hoping that help will show up. That’s what Mental Health First Aid is – it is help to get people connected to care and ultimately to get them to a better place.” –Tousha Paxton-Barnes, U.S. Army Veteran
  • I wish that every corrections officer could receive Mental Health First Aid training. I believe that our corrections system would be better because of it – the inmates would benefit, the officers would benefit and ultimately our communities would benefit.” –Lt. Virgil Meyer, Lieutenant, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
  • As adults, we sometimes forget how hard it was being an adolescent. When we see a kid who is just miserable at school, we might think they choose to be that way – or that it’s just part of adolescence. But in fact, they might be in a mental health crisis, one they certainly did not choose and do not want. When a teacher says “how can I be helpful,” that is a powerful question. ” –Alyssa Fruchtenicht, School-Based Mental Health Counselor
Read Success Stories Submit Your Story
Search for courses
To find a course or Instructor near you, enter your location below.