To Improve Youth Mental Health, Funders Must Center Youth Voices
Grantmakers in Health
Views from the Field
As youth mental health challenges continue to grow nationwide, a new initiative in Greater Cincinnati believes transformational change begins when youth are empowered to lead.
Hopeful Empowered Youth (HEY!) is a diverse coalition of community groups, health care providers, educators, policymakers, families, and most importantly, young people themselves, working collaboratively to create a community that supports the well-being of all youth from ages 0-24 in Greater Cincinnati, especially those facing the greatest barriers and disparities. It is committed to creating a culture where youth experience optimal mental health, are free from stigma, and have the support they need to thrive.
From Fall 2022 through mid-2024, funders and community partners progressed from early convenings to launching the HEY! collaborative fund, hiring strategic consultants, and completing a community-driven needs assessment. This foundation led to branding HEY!, developing infrastructure such as the Youth Fellowship and steering committee, hiring the first executive director in June 2024, and launching Youth Fellows 2.0 into the community that September. Over the following year, HEY! continued to expand staff and launch several initiatives, including Schools of Wellness, Safe Adults and Spaces Rubrics, and the Youth Mental Health Corps.
Rather than approaching the mental health crisis with traditional top-down strategies, HEY! centers youth experiences and leadership while uniting different sector partners to reimagine how communities can better support young people’s wellness and belonging.
