From data to action: Spotlight on youth advocacy
The Spotlight on Youth Mental Health Advocacy explores how young advocates can use resources like the State of Mental Health in America report to create change in their communities.
Summary
Young people bring unique strengths to mental health advocacy that seasoned policymakers often lack, including insight into what it is like to be a young person today. Youth carry lived experience of mental health in schools and communities. They hold credibility with their peers, speaking their language and understanding struggles adults often miss. And they bring fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions others have accepted as unchangeable.
Mental Health America’s Young Leaders Council (YLC) believes data without action is just numbers on a page and that young people must be part of creating solutions.
In this Spotlight on Youth Mental Health Advocacy, the YLC bridges the gap between research and real change with guidance on how youth advocates and adult allies can:
- Translate numbers into compelling narratives to influence the public and decision-makers.
- Identify who has decision-making power with examples of how young people are already influencing change in education, government, and communities.
- Create a plan to turn state data into real change.
- Leverage lessons from YLC members to shape and inspire advocacy and transformation, personally and professionally.
Youth mental health advocacy roadmap
A step-by-step guide for turning awareness into action, from understanding your state’s data to building coalitions and engaging decision-makers in your community.
Template letter to policymakers
Customizable framework for contacting school boards, city councils, and other local stakeholders.
Decision-maker directory
Examples of local bodies with power over mental health policy and programming
Youth advocates in action
Real examples from MHA’s Young Leaders Council members with advice for aspiring advocates
“Think beyond the box. This field doesn’t thrive on linear thinking. It thrives on people who create, experiment, and take chances on themselves, even when the outcome isn’t certain. The best things I’ve seen often start as small, hesitant ideas. Believe in yourself, get others to rally behind you, and watch those ideas blossom.”
– Asia Horne, MHA Young Leaders Council member
“Begin with the story you feel most comfortable telling. Share it in any format you can, whether that’s on stage, on screen, or online, because no one can tell your story like you can.”
– Travis Haughton, MHA Young Leaders Council member
“Never convince yourself that discomfort is where you belong… Settling into the uncomfortable can quietly drain your confidence and limit your growth. Instead, open yourself up to opportunities you never imagined, because often, the things you think you can’t do are the very things that will change your life.”
– Cadon Sagendorf, MHA Young Leaders Council member
About this report
This spotlight was created by Mental Health America’s Young Leaders Council as part of the 2025 State of Mental Health in America report. The YLC is a cohort of 10 young advocates, ages 18–25, from across the United States. They are transforming mental health systems through youth-led initiatives, policy reform, and community organizing.
This report was researched, written, and prepared by Elisabeth Chai, Deb Coffy, Max Delgado, Margaret Garcia, Travis Haughton, Asia Horne, Cadon Sagendorf, Oleksandr Sharlai, Kelly Davis, Jackie Menjivar, and Maddy Reinert. It was designed by Jackie Menjivar.