As the mental health crisis affecting young people across America continues to grow, a new program aims to address the situation by training young people to help their peers.
Natalie Santiago, who played a key role in founding the Youth Mental Health Corps, said she was proud to be part of an initiative that would have been so helpful during her own difficult childhood. Growing up with an abusive, drug-addicted father and a grandmother who struggled to make ends meet and encouraged her to “pray” when facing mental challenges, Santiago sees the Corps as a vital resource for young people today. NBC News report.
Santiago has overcome adversity to build a successful career in education, philanthropy and public service. She held positions in the Departments of Education and Labor under President Barack Obama and more recently in the Office of U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy under President Joe Biden.
Now she helps young people navigate the growing pains that will ultimately affect how they behave in the world.
“Now, at 54, I’m asking myself, what would I have liked when I was 16? How do we help kids whose parents don’t have insurance, can’t get therapy or don’t know how to get services? How do we create a way for these kids to get help?”
That reflection led her to help launch the Youth Mental Health Corps, a program slated to launch in fall 2024 across four states to address the nation’s youth mental health crisis, which Surgeon General Mursi called “the defining public health issue of our time.”
According to the 2021 Surgeon General’s Recommendations for Protecting Youth Mental Health, “One in three high school students report persistent feelings of hopelessness, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents ages 10 to 14.”
The first-of-its-kind initiative, supported by AmeriCorps, the federal agency that leads volunteerism and national service in the United States, “recruits young volunteers to help other young people struggling with mental health issues.”
Volunteers choose to stay for one or two years and receive training and state-specific certification in behavioral health to work with schools, nonprofits and community organizations in our mission to provide needed mental health support to our fellow youth. Participants also receive a stipend to help cover living expenses.
According to Santiago, “Not only will this program address the mental health needs of young people, it will also help increase the pipeline of young people pursuing study and careers in fields such as social work and psychology.”
The program, which is also backed by funders including the Schultz Family Foundation, Pinterest and America Forward, will begin in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and Texas, with the goal of expanding to 11 states with large Latino populations by fall 2025, including California, New Jersey, New York and Utah.
“The reality is that there is a crisis of black and Latino youth not being able to access mental health services.
“This is an issue that’s been going on for decades,” said Quiara Alvarez, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Now that there’s more attention and more open discussion about youth mental health, we’re kind of catching up with a crisis that’s been there all along.”
Anyone between the ages of 18 and 24 with a high school diploma can apply to join the Marine Corps, and part-time and full-time positions are available for those interested.
Related content: Black Journalists Therapy Relief Fund helps frontline reporters maintain their sanity
