Research

About
The Youth Mental Health Tracker by Surgo Health is a comprehensive, actionable mental health and wellbeing data platform to empower equitable-youth centered solutions. The Youth Mental Health Tracker is built on holistic data collected from over 4,500 youth across the U.S., with plans to continue surveying youth through multiple rounds until 2026. This ongoing effort will monitor changes over time, providing an evolving, real-time picture of youth mental health and wellbeing.
About
This action guide was designed for school administrators in kindergarten through 12th grade schools (K-12), including principals and leaders of school-based student support teams, to identify evidence-based strategies, approaches, and practices that can positively influence students’ mental health.

Mental health is important for everyone, and includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.6, 7 It affects how we think, feel, and act as well as how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. For children and youth, mental health also includes reaching developmental and emotional milestones, and learning skills to cope with challenges and function well at home, school, and in their communities. Mental health is a component of behavioral health, which also includes choices or actions that affect overall wellness.
About
Youth peer support creates connections between young people with shared identities and mental health experiences, offering mutual support and empowerment. Programs and services range from broad community-centered initiatives to specialized one-on-one support from certified youth peer support specialists. Crucially, peer support stands on its own as a unique and essential mental health resource for young people, fostering recovery journeys and enhancing holistic well-being alongside or independently of clinical services.

This paper and findings are driven by members of Mental Health America’s inaugural Youth Policy Accelerator (YPA). The YPA is a national leadership program designed to support young adults with the skills, connections, and opportunities to advance mental health policy change. In addition to lived and professional expertise, this report was informed by a national survey of individuals working in youth peer support. It outlines policy recommendations to ensure all young people across the United States have access to peer support when and where they need it.
About
This report seeks to connect the past with the present by examining how historical and cultural contexts shape our understanding of mental health. By engaging in meaningful conversations with those who have navigated previous generational crises, we aim to uncover lessons that can inform and strengthen modern mental health advocacy. Our focus is on learning from the experiences of previous generations to better address the mental health needs of today’s youth, acknowledging that while our context may be different, the underlying struggles are often shared.

Through this work, we aim to keep the conversation on youth mental health active and evolving. By reopening the discussions sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic and situating them within a broader historical context, this report seeks to sustain the momentum toward meaningful and lasting change.
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