Host Organization: TN Voices
Chapter Type: Statewide Chapter

The System of Care TN Initiative through the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) funds the Youth M.O.V.E. (Motivating Others through Voices of Experience) Tennessee program.

Youth M.O.V.E. Tennessee is a chapter of Youth M.O.V.E. National, a youth-led national organization devoted to improving services and systems that support growth and development by uniting the voices of individuals who have lived experience in various systems including mental health, juvenile justice, education, and child welfare. Youth M.O.V.E. Tennessee consists of multiple councils made up of middle and high school students statewide that work together to stomp out the stigma of mental health and raise awareness around youth issues. Councils consist of both students who do and do not have mental health diagnoses. The councils advocate for youth rights and voice in mental health and the other systems that serve youth, for the purpose of empowering youth to be equal partners in the process of change. TNV’s SOCAT Youth Engagement Specialists work together as coaches and mentors for youth councils by assisting in program development, activity planning, advocacy training, and youth/young adult leadership skills enhancement.