Youth Creating Change
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : l*****a@d*************e.o*g
Mission Statement
Youth Creating Change is a non-profit organization (501 c3) dedicated to placing young people’s voices and creativity at the center of suicide prevention and mental health programming. Our mission is to educate young people about mental health, suicide prevention and other critical health and social justice issues through the creation of art and film projects; to facilitate healing and belonging through creative expression, and to support schools and communities through curriculums, trainings, and awareness activities in creating safe spaces where young people feel seen, heard, and supported in reaching out for help.
About This Cause
Youth Creating Change places young people’s voices and creativity at the center of suicide prevention and mental health programming through a variety of programs and initiatives. When youth are at the center of their own well-being, change can happen. Through the organization’s core initiatives, The Directing Change Film Contest and the Hope & Justice Initiative, young people are trained to recognize warning signs of suicide, apply healthy coping techniques, and how to seek help for themselves or a friend: The Directing Change Film contest trains young people in mental health and suicide prevention through creation of 30 and 60-second films. There are five submission categories – Suicide Prevention, Mental Health Matters, Through the Lens of Culture, Animated Short and Walk in Our Shoes. Learning objectives embedded in these categories include learning the warning signs of suicide and how to help a friend, understanding mental health, healthy coping skills, and where to find help for themselves or a friend. The Hope and Justice Art and Film Contest centers topics youth are grappling with in their day to day lives – mental health, racism, economic uncertainty, climate change, health disparities – with prompts that ask them to express and process their feelings in a positive and impactful format. Youth are asked to share how they find hope, ways they cope with tough times and complex feelings, and the changes they hope to see in their communities. Other programs and Initiatives include: The Mental Health Thrival Kit: This free physical kit can be used to celebrate wellness and promote positive coping skills for youth with easy-to-follow activities to enhance skills for social emotional wellness. The downloadable digital kit includes journaling prompts to promote reflection and self-expression, breathing and grounding techniques, coloring pages, as well as mental health and crisis resources. Kits are currently available in English and Spanish, as well as for Korean American youth and Filipino American youth. The mini grant program is a “packaged” version of our suicide prevention and mental health curriculum delivered in the form of an Annual Film Contest. Participating groups apply for this program and receive educational resources about mental health and suicide prevention plus personalized support for filmmaking. Students in the mini grant program apply lessons from the Youth Creating Change curriculum to create their own mental health and/or suicide prevention film projects. Mini grant teams also plan and host a youth-led awareness event tied to either mental health, suicide prevention, or both, at which their films are screened. Through participation in the mini grant program and use of the curriculum, groups receive funding that can be used to support filmmaking, their awareness event, or other activities that support youth wellness. When schools and communities have the training, tools, and procedures they need to promote mental health and facilitate healing, belonging, and help-seeking, then more young people feel seen, heard, and safe to reach out for help. All of our training modules are designed for districts, schools, and organizations to build capacity in advancing suicide prevention practices in school and community settings. Our fee for services include (but are not limited to): Needs assessment design and implementation Training plan development Virtual trainings In-person half day and full day workshops Train-the-trainer curriculums Coaching and shadowing Please visit our website for more information about our work.