A new effort to support teen mental health
Editor’s note: Today, we announced $10 million in new funding for leading youth mental health and education nonprofits: The Rare Impact Fund, DonorsChoose, The JED Foundation, Child Mind Institute and The Steve Fund — increasing our overall commitment to youth digital wellbeing and online safety to $25 million. With this new funding, we hope to support the rollout of mental health training and resources to one million high school students. To start, Google.org has funded all current mental health projects from high school teachers on DonorsChoose, will provide up to $500 for projects posted after today and is offering a $200 credit to teachers that take one of the nine new mental health training courses that we designed hand in hand with youth mental health experts. Learn more about how classrooms can receive support in our press release and on the DonorsChoose website.
In this post, Selena Gomez, founder of The Rare Impact Fund, shares how she hopes this support from Google and collaboration with other nonprofits will help teenagers and teachers around the country.
I know that being a teenager can feel complicated and lonely. When I was younger, I had a hard time making sense of my emotions. Once I got the support I needed I realized I actually wasn’t alone. I also learned that, when it comes to mental health, knowledge is power. We have to give teens resources so that they can build strong mental health habits. That’s why at the Rare Impact Fund, we want to expand access to mental health services by meeting young people where they are: the classroom. We’re proud to team up with Google to help achieve that goal.
I also know firsthand that caring adults who really get it can make all the difference in a teenager’s life. As young people find their way through the world, it’s crucial that they get guidance in building healthy, positive and productive mental health habits. Few people are in a better position to help do this than teachers.
At today’s event to announce this project, I met some amazing students and teachers from Eagle Rock High School who drove home this point. We talked about how important it is that teenagers can find mental health resources right in their classrooms, and how supplies teachers have received from DonorsChoose, a platform where people can donate to classrooms in need, have helped them do just that.
Dr. Aileen Gendrano Adao — better known by her students as Ms. G — is a teacher and wellness leader for Eagle Rock High School. She works across grades to ensure all students feel affirmed, seen and valued for who they are. Aileen has used DonorsChoose to fundraise for dozens of projects, including a peer-to-peer counseling program that required extra posters and paint markers for activities that helped students advance positive thinking through affirmations. Aileen shared that DonorsChoose resources aren’t only helpful for students — they can help teachers feel a sense of fulfillment, too. Having extra funds for supplies gives teachers the peace of mind to support students creatively without worrying about budget constraints.
No one should feel isolated in their mental health experiences, especially young people, who can be especially vulnerable to those struggles. Support is out there. And by standing together, we can make a real difference in teen mental health.
