Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month is
and Youth MOVE National is Reclaiming It!
For too long, adult-driven and “youth-serving” systems have been building services, programs, and even “awareness months” for youth instead of with youth. Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month is no exception. We surveyed youth, and the response was clear:
- Most didn’t even know the month existed
- They didn’t know what happens during it or how it connects to their lives
- The green ribbon symbol didn’t resonate or hold meaning
Most importantly, they emphasized that systems aren’t built to serve them, but continue to make decisions about their lives without them. Their voices are filtered, reinterpreted, or fully ignored. Spaces that are supposed to support them often feel performative, disconnected, or genuinely unsafe. And being “included” rarely comes with real influence or decision-making power.
This is exactly why Youth MOVE National exists.
Our work is rooted in shifting the narrative. Youth aren’t here to be an afterthought or a checkbox. They are building, leading, and redefining what support should look like every day, and calling for approaches that reflect their lived realities, cultures, and communities. Youth want systems that are tailored for them, by them, that center their voice and choice beyond symbolic gestures.
So this "Children's Mental Health Awareness Month” we are calling BS and reclaiming the month to be truly for youth, by youth, the way it always should’ve been!
Throughout the month of May, over the course of each week, Youth MOVE National will focus on a different “reclaiming” theme – all with the intention of centering what youth truly feel is most supportive, affirming, and meaningful in their lives and communities.
We will be offering a bunch of virtual resources and events (such as social media collaborations, no-cost workshops and fun learning modules) over the course of the month!
This website will be updated with new products and more as they are announced. Stay tuned and check back each week!
Join Us This May as Youth MOVE National Will Focus on the Following Each Week:
Week 1
Reclaiming: “Awareness to Action”
We’ll be focusing on the BS (Built by Systems)! Join us as we learn about the history of the month, how it was built by systems, how, or if, it serves youth today, and all things that focus on reclaiming “awareness” and starting to shift into action! In addition, we will hear from Courn Ahn (they/them) from Courtney Ahn Design about hope and the power that youth have to make an impact within systems!
Week 2
Reclaiming: “Intergenerational Mentorship”
We’ll be reclaiming what mentorship and youth peer support mean to youth and young adults! Collaborating with organizations such as braveONE, The Academy of Pediatrics, and the YMCA of the USA we will be offering no cost webinars and highlighting multiple youth peer support resources!
Events This Week:
Intergenerational Mentorship Roundtable
Thursday, May 14th at 1pm – 2pm ET
The National Center for Adolescent and Young Adult Health and Well-Being brought together three guest organizations, braveONE, YMCA of Greater Long Beach, and Knowledge to Power Catalysts, to share about their unique approach to the power of intergenerational mentorship. We heard firsthand from mentee and mentor perspectives to get a sense of the real-world impact these initiatives have between youth and adults in our communities.
Week 3
Reclaiming: “The Transition to Adulthood”
We’ll be reclaiming the meaning of adulthood by highlighting our newest Issue Brief and offering a special webinar Unpacking & Reclaiming Adulthood at no-cost to you! Plus, we will be partnering with our friends at The National Center for Child Traumatic Stress!
Events This Week:
Unpacking & Reclaiming Adulthood
Wednesday, May 20th at 4pm – 5pm ET
Join Youth MOVE National for an interactive webinar exploring what “adulthood” means and how young people can reclaim that transition on their own terms. This session will create space to reflect on societal expectations, identity, lived experience, and the many factors that shape the transition into adulthood. Through guided discussion, reflection activities, and peer engagement, participants will explore what it means to move beyond traditional definitions and reconnect with authenticity, joy, and self-determination. Participants will have opportunities to engage through live polls, chat discussions, and breakout conversations. Please note that this session may include references to trauma and other potentially activating topics, and participants are encouraged to take care of themselves throughout.
Unpacking & Reclaiming the Transition to ‘Adulthood’ Issue Brief
This issue brief invites you to explore what we’ve come to understand about ‘adulthood’ and this idea of ‘transition to adulthood.’ Let’s unpack some conventional ideas and reclaim our own narratives, while also considering how we can support this journey for youth and young adults navigating through communities and systems.
Week 4
Reclaiming: “Awareness to Action”
For the fourth and final week, we’ll be focusing on moving from Awareness to Action! We will highlight actionable strategies that reinforce youth leadership and engagement, as well as opportunities to transform systems that support young people nationwide.
In addition, we will be spotlighting the powerful stories of youth and young adults with lived experience through their REBirthday Stories that inspire acceptance, action, innovation, and change. Including from Founder & Executive Director of Letters to Strangers, Diana Chao (she/her/they)!
This month with close out with additional opportunities to support YMN and ways to take action in your community, and beyond, in supporting youth creating meaningful positive systems led by youth and not Built by Systems!
Events This Week:
Intergenerational Mentorship Office Hour
Thursday, May 28th at 1pm – 2pm ET
This one-hour office hour was a follow-up to the Roundtable taking place in week 2 on Intergenerational Mentorship. Our team at Youth MOVE, alongside braveONE and the Y, was be available to answer follow-up questions to the roundtable.