At HHS, we know that some of the most effective solutions to challenges within a community arise of the community. I am proud to have been a part of the first HHS Children and Youth Resilience Summit, which featured fourteen finalists from across the country developing innovative community-led solutions to improve the mental health of children and adolescents. The Summit, which helped kick off Mental Health Awareness Month on May 2-3, was the culmination of months of work by the finalists of the Children and youth resilience challenge and its federal partners at HHS. The Resiliency Challenge is part of the Department’s commitment to advance behavioral health through our Behavioral Health Coordinating Council across HHS and the HHS Roadmap for Behavioral Health Integration.
I had the honor of hosting the Innovation Showcase, where each finalist gave a five-minute presentation on the impact of their project to nearly 100 in-person attendees and 300 online viewers. The Showcase presenters surprised us with their projects, which included initiatives to:
- Build intergenerational bridges that support healing and justice for young people.
- Prevent adverse childhood experiences and promote positive experiences.
- Build youth-led spaces to promote mental health, and
- Dismantle barriers to healthcare resources
Their extraordinary work shows how community knowledge about children and young people can be turned into real results for communities. The Showcase gave us confidence that these innovations will inspire community leaders and their federal partners to share and promote these powerful solutions across the country. Throughout the Summit, my fellow HHS leaders, including Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs and Director of the Office of Adolescent Health Jessica Marcella, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy of Human Services in the Office of the Under Secretary. for Planning and Evaluation Miranda Lynch-Smith: she participated with the finalists in conversations about the mental health challenges affecting their communities and promising initiatives to support the resilience of children and young people.
It was inspiring to see youth leaders propose solutions to address the mental health crisis and reaffirmed HHS’s commitment to authentically partnering with young people. One finalist shared how much his perception of what it means to partner with the federal government has changed. Their knowledge, ideas and inspiration were fundamental to the success of the Summit.
We look forward to continuing to intentionally partner with communities in our shared work to build resilience and promote mental health among children, adolescents, and young adults. Together, we will continue to work to ensure that all children, young people and families can thrive.
