Student-led community action plan created and presented during an Ambassador Leadership Summit in 2019 at Harvard University.

1. Just Be.
You Don’t Need to be Great, Good, Okay, or Bad. . . Just Be

2. Suffer from some form of mental illness
8.5 million americans
under 18

3. Mental Illness by the Stats
50% of all cases of
mental illness are
diagnosed before the
age of 14
37% of youth over the
age of 14 with a
mental illness dropout
of high school
African and Hispanic
Americans used mental
health services at ½ the
rate of White Americans
Suicide is the 3rd
leading cause of
death for teens aged
12 - 191/3rd of teenagers
report feeling sad and
hopeless
Mental illness is the 3rd
largest cause of
hospitalization between
the ages of 18 - 44

4. An International
Comparison
8.5 million American
youth diagnosed with
a mental illness
1.2 million Canadian
youth estimated to
suffer from a mental
illness
US population: 327.2
million
Canadian Population
37.06 million
7x greater
US population: 9x
greater
US mental illness
diagnoses: 7x greater
An estimated 2.3
million American
youth are living with
a mental illness in
silence
9x greater

5. Causes of suicidal thoughts:
Trauma
PTSD
Anxiety
Depression
Feelings of loneliness
Guilt
Bipolar disorder
Substance abuse

6. “ There is
HOPE
even when your
brain tells you there
isn’t”
- John Green

7. Non-Profit Organization
Our non-profit is The Youth Mental Health Project
-Mission; “We educate, empower, and support families and communities to
better understand and care for the mental health of our youth.”
Many kids lives have been changed throughout the years because of their
charitable work.
-You can contact them by; Email, social media, a workshop, or simply by
going in for a private screening with one of the speakers.
Email; info@ymhproject.org

8. Just be.

9. Mission Statement:
Our mission is to provide safe spaces, resources, and awareness
about mental health for the youth within our education systems.
By creating an organization in our schools that is centered around
raising awareness about mental health, we will help reduce the
stigma that continues to surround students along with individuals
all over the World.

10. Step 1:
Get permission from the
administration to implement
the program in order to
benefit the incoming
freshman.
Step 2:
Find a teacher to serve as a
sponsor for the group.
Step 3:
Spread the word. ADVERTISE!
Step 4:
Create a safe space for
weekly meetings.
Step 5:
Implement the program and be
dedicated to its success.
The Simple Steps

11. Our logo

12. Mental Health affects all of us one way or another. The way the world
currently views the state of mental health is not enough to grasp a real
understanding of the issue. Rather than accept this state of awareness, change
can truly happen through a united effort.
You Don’t Need to be Great, Good, Okay, or Bad. . .
Just Be.