The Foundation for Social Connection reposted this
Ever wondered how you can best support youth mental health? 🧠❤️ It's no secret that accessing mental healthcare in America is frustrating and hard. For some it seems flat out impossible. That care gap is even more critical for teens and preteens. Young people in crisis typically wait months to see a specialist. This can lead to worsening symptoms, chronic stress and feelings of hopelessness. While systemic change to our healthcare system is a critical conversation, so is prevention. We need to go upstream and help young people strengthen the protective factors that are proven to decrease their odds of anxiety or depression. I'm talking about social connection and the youth loneliness crisis. That's why I was grateful to have the opportunity to talk about our work at Young Futures Org at the Milken Institute Global Conference this spring. We take a holistic and community-based approach to supporting youth wellbeing: ✅ We picked social connection for our first funding challenge to go upstream and bolster youth wellbeing at a foundational level. Per US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and The Foundation for Social Connection , we know that when young people have meaningful relationships in their lives, they're better equipped to handle challenges. When they don't, they're more likely to experience anxiety and depression when they hit hurdles, including challenges that arise with technology. ✅ We support nonprofits that have established trust with young people and their families across America. These organizations are transforming lives everyday. Imagine if we could multiply those effects by 10, 100, 1000! ✅ Just like in venture, the majority of nonprofit funding goes to larger and more established organizations. We are addressing that funding gap at Young Futures, but we can't do it alone! Comment or message me to join us. ✅ Nonprofit leaders need support and community as they scale. We are on a mission to provide that with Young Futures Academy, our six-month accelerator for grantees (#YFInnovators). We'll be adding at least 20 nonprofits to our community a year, with plans to grow our ecosystem even more in the future! #YoungFutures #LonelyHeartsClubChallenge Kristine G. Sierra Malia F. Jillian Racoosin Kornmeier, MPH Morgan Marler Abigail Barth, MPH Trey Leveque Traci Doromal Pivotal Ventures Kelsey Noonan Susan Crown Exchange Kevin Connors The Goodness Web (TGW) Celine Coggins Ph.D. Emily Baxi Rachel Goldstein Heather Haines Tiffany Zhu #YoungFutures #MilkenGlobalConference #YouthMentalHealth