Youth are struggling as never before.
Nationally, adolescent depression, anxiety, and loneliness — already increasing before the pandemic — surged amid the isolation, disruption, and hardships of Covid-19. Recently the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey show 42 percent of high school students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. 22 percent say they seriously considered attempting suicide.

Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy called the youth mental health crisis “the defining public health issue of our time,” saying it threatens “the foundation for health and well-being for millions of our children.”

A 2022 federal survey documented that 7 in 10 public schools reported that faculty and staff members observed depression, anxiety, and trauma in students and expressed a pressing need for services to support these youth.

What are the causes of this crisis?
Youth today contend with an unparalleled series of existential crises. They worry about gun violence, catastrophic climate change, political instability and polarization, threats to American democracy. They face greatly heightened personal challenges – family disruption, financial stress, sexual violence.

Personal problems can make it hard for students to focus on their studies, attend classes regularly, or cope with stress. They may feel isolated, unsupported, or ashamed of their situation. These students often need support from teachers, counselors, and other caring adults to deal with difficult emotions, overcome barriers, stay motivated, and complete their education.

Unique to this time too is the impact of social media. In his 2024 book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt documents how smartphones and social media have created four foundational harms to children and youth:

• Social deprivation

• Sleep deprivation

• Attention fragmentation

• Addiction
  

These harms can be compounded by over-protective parents who shield children from experiencing the setbacks, failures, shocks, and stumbles that build strength and self-reliance.

Author and social scientist Arthur C. Brooks believes a deeper, philosophical crisis affects many young people as well.

“Youth lack a sense of meaning. They don’t feel they know the why of their lives. Evidence suggests they’re not even looking for it, nor are we encouraging them to do so. This creates a feeling of hollowness and futility, especially when times are inevitably rough.” -- Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic

The collective impact of these challenges is affecting many youth in devastating ways. The crisis calls for action – effective new ways for youth to build the core capacities they urgently need. Our mentors invite youth to address these issues in a safe space using imagination, story, and creative expression. The process builds a meaningful connection to oneself, to family, to community – strengthening the foundations of resilience.

“Youth lack a sense of meaning. They don’t feel they know the why of their lives. Evidence suggests they’re not even looking for it, nor are we encouraging them to do so. This creates a feeling of hollowness and futility, especially when times are inevitably rough.”
Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic