President and CEO of the National 4-H Council.
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As the new school year starts for young people across the country, I reflect on what back to school was like for me growing up. I loved it. I always looked forward to the excitement of starting a new grade with new teachers, new school supplies, new and old friends and the fun of extracurricular activities. But going back to school is different for today’s youth, with brand new challenges that many adults did not have to face.
The Mental Health Crisis Among Our Youth
Although most students returned to in-person instruction last year, the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to be front of mind for students in particular. Research shows that students are still trying to catch up after two years of on-again, off-again virtual and in-person education. This has had a strong effect on youth mental well-being.
Of course, youth mental health issues didn’t start two years ago—but the pandemic exacerbated an already growing crisis in youth mental health. Young people continue to grapple with the discomfort of social interaction, negative social media influences and concerns about school safety. As a result, we’re seeing increased levels of stress, anxiety and other mental health issues in our young people.
A study from JAMA Pediatrics found that rates of clinical anxiety and depression among youth have doubled in the past two years. The United States Surgeon General even issued an official advisory, calling mental health challenges for children, adolescents and young adults a crisis and warning the public of “devastating” mental health effects resulting from challenges experienced by their generation. These include not just the pandemic, but the host of other issues facing our young people, like socioeconomic inequity, climate change, gun violence and more.
But perhaps the starkest example of our youth’s struggle with mental health since the beginning of the pandemic is the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2022 annual report, with data from all 50 states on youth well-being. Key among the findings: Young people across America were more likely to encounter anxiety or depression during the first year of the Covid-19 crisis than the previous year, with the national figure growing a shocking 26% from 2016 to 2020. These studies square with our own findings at National 4-H Council. In 2020, we commissioned a survey to gain a deeper understanding of young people’s perceptions and experiences around mental health, and the results were just as unequivocal: 81% of those surveyed said mental health was a significant issue for them and other young people, and 79% wished for a safe, inclusive space at school to discuss mental health.
What Nonprofits Can Do
The challenges facing our youth are tough to imagine, but it is our job as leaders and experts to ensure that we are there to support and guide them, as well as listen to and understand their concerns. This takes some learning on our part. Nonprofits working with youth should use this data to tailor programs for young people in their regions and provide information on resources available through school districts, community organizations and state and local health departments. For example, as part of 4-H’s Cooperative Extension System programming at the University of New Hampshire, we offer a youth mental health first aid training course. This is designed to give adults who work regularly with young people the skills they need to support youth who may be struggling with their mental health or with substance abuse issues. By training our leaders to appropriately respond to mental health issues in the same way they would to a physical injury—by treating it as first aid—we are ensuring that our young people are healthy inside and out.
Leaders also can and should talk openly with young people about their own mental health. In being honest about our own experiences and struggles, and sharing tips and best practices as to how we manage our mental health, we show our youth that there’s no shame in these issues.
Finally, nonprofits should work to offer young people opportunities for leadership. By empowering young people and providing them with the relationships, environment and experiences they need to mitigate the effects of adversity and stress, we can help them build the confidence, resilience and interpersonal skills needed to not just return to school but to thrive in it.
Final Thoughts
As youth across the U.S. head back to school, we must make their mental well-being a priority this school year. I see firsthand every day young people confronting the toughest challenges in their communities—but unless we help them take care of their mental health first, they’ll be ill-equipped to do anything else. The youth are our future, and we have to support them in the present in order for them to succeed.
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