Thriving Young Minds: Activating Support for Mental Health and Well-Being
Last month, Mindful Philanthropy hosted funders and thought leaders at the historic Kennedy compound in Hyannis, MA for a day-long event focused on funding youth mental health. The event highlighted challenges faced by young people today, bright spots that philanthropy can support, and the role of philanthropy in youth mental health policy at local, state, and federal levels. Participants reflected on the unique opportunity to gather and discuss solutions together, and some expressed interest in co-funding related initiatives. All participants reported that the event exceeded their expectations.
The following capacities were identified by the Inseparable and The Kennedy Forum teams, in partnership with other members of the Hopeful Futures Campaign, as crucial elements required by the system at large to advance youth mental health policy. Each of these represents opportunities for funders to get involved.
Policy advocacy - driving state by state strategy, hiring advocates, developing coalitions, running communications campaigns, and building targeted support for policy change.
Policymaker and candidate education - convening and educating policymakers through their cohort organizations, creating specific events and opportunities for learning about best practices.
Elevating youth voices and storytelling - identifying and training youth voices to tell their stories in advocacy settings, amplifying stories across social and traditional media channels.
Ongoing technical assistance for schools, systems, and policymakers - providing ongoing support for those working to implement best practices in schools.
Driving national conversation about need for more public investments in youth mental health through convenings and communications strategy.
Organizing Parent Voices - elevating the voices of parents concerned about their children’s mental health/access to services to counter voices on the extreme right.
Ongoing messaging research - conducting research of voters across the political spectrum to provide organizations and stakeholders with the best messages to advocate for increased investments in youth mental health, create toolkits for organizations engaged in public education work.
Constituent Advocacy - ensuring that insurance companies, self-insured corporations and providers understand best practices and levers to move the system forward.
To read our latest guidance on youth, A Primer on Youth Mental Health and Well-Being, click here. For more about our Thriving in Schools initiative, visit thrivinginschools.org.
