How to reach young people with a message about mental health? Ask young people.

Sara Rubin here, thinking about what it takes to shift perception and culture on a generational scale. This might seem like a big and unwieldy task, because it is. But in the case of breaking the stigma around young people seeking mental health support, there is growing momentum to take on the project of reframing cultural norms and making it normal to go to therapy or to ask for help, and not to view this as a sign of weakness. 

I’ve watched the landscape change, with initiatives like the creation of AIM Youth Mental Health and expansion of mental health first aid training, and the opening of Ohana, Montage’s youth mental health center. 

There’s a new campaign now rolling out courtesy of The Village Project. I joined a few staff members from the nonprofit at Los Arboles Middle School in Marina last Friday, Nov. 7, where they hung the first of 25 banners with their message: “Break the stigma, not your vibe.” 

The simple motto is overlaid on a photograph of teens who are youth ambassadors with The Village Project, and who are leading the charge on the campaign they call MindShift, encouraging people ages 8-16 not to hesitate in asking for help when they think they need it. And if anyone can make getting help in moments of despair cool, it’s young people.

Young people are often savvier than we give them credit for. They want sincerity and authenticity, and the best way to deliver that is on their own terms. That’s why I am hopeful about the rise in initiatives like these—they are credible because they are designed by young people for their peers. 

The Los Arboles banner is the first of 25 that are expected to be hung at locations around town by Dec. 1, including two wraps on MST buses. The initiative is funded with a $1 million grant from the California Department of Public Health to support culturally relevant messaging around this critical issue. Beyond banners, the kids in the MindShift group are getting out their message with a podcast, spoken word poetry and more. 

“We believe visibility is prevention,” says Ayo Banjo, project director at The Village Project. “This is not show-and-tell.” The hope is to help promote genuine transformation and a new way of thinking so that young people do not suffer quietly, without reaching out. 

Los Arboles Principal Leland Hansen said he delivers a message to students about courage—something that fits in with good vibes, not a sign of weakness. “You have to be brave and ask for help,” he tells them. “I am asking you to do the hard thing.” 

It’s a message that Village Project cofounder Mel Mason echoed. “It takes the strength of a warrior to ask for help,” he said. 

I wish the young warriors all the best in their war.