Youth Mental Health, Connectedness, and Resilience

Perspective

North Carolina’s children and youth are our future. Our vision is that all young people grow up in strong and supportive environments that give them the best opportunity to be mentally healthy and thrive—from early childhood through adolescence and into early adulthood.  

When youth have safe, stable relationships, trusted connections, and needed  supports, they are better equipped to navigate life’s challenges, build resilience, and reach their full potential. Yet, too many youth across North Carolina are experiencing depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges without timely access to care.  When those needs go unmet, it can lead to costly crisis care and disruptions in school with lasting impacts for youth, families, and communities. We invest in community-driven solutions and systems change so that youth build strong connections in a coordinated, prevention-oriented ecosystem and can access timely care when needed. By investing in prevention, early relationships, and community supports, we aim to reduce the need for more complex and costly interventions later—and build a stronger, more connected system of care across North Carolina.  

Approach

Our approach is grounded in a life-span framework (ages 0–26) and focuses on reaching youth where they are—across schools, health care settings, and community environments.  

We center our work on three core strategies: 

• Improving access to care
  Ensuring young people can access holistic, high-quality mental health services—when, where, and how they need them.  

• Early intervention and prevention
  Advancing solutions that identify and address challenges early—reducing the need for more intensive and costly care later.  

• Fostering healthy connections in community
  Building community capacity to support youth mental health, strengthen relationships, and promote resilience.  

Together, these strategies help reduce strain on the health care system, improve outcomes for young people, and create a more connected and effective system of care—while helping ease the long-term cost burden on families and communities.  

Examples of Our Work and Impact

Improving Access to Care 

We partner with the North Carolina Statewide Telepsychiatry Program (NC-STeP) to expand access to mental health care for college students,  at UNC Pembroke-. This integrated model brings psychiatric care directly into student health settings—helping reduce wait times, lower stigma, and connect students to care earlier. Learn more about the NC-STeP expansion. 

Early Intervention and Prevention 

We partner with the North Carolina Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Association to strengthen the workforce supporting young children and families. Through training, reflective supervision, and a nationally recognized endorsement program, this work builds the skills needed to support healthy development from the earliest years.  

Fostering Healthy Connections in Community 

We support community-based organizations and cross-sector collaborations that strengthen connections between youth, families, schools, and communities. These partnerships promote mental health, reduce stigma, and help young people feel seen, supported, and connected.  

• Featured Story
  As part of the celebration of our 25th Anniversary in our recent Youth Mental Health story, we highlight how community-based partners across North Carolina are helping young people build connections, access support, and thrive. Read the story. 

School-Based Approaches 

Schools can be effective sites of care and support for youth mental health, which is why we support evidence-based models that connect students and families to the resources they need—academically, physically, and emotionally. Through partnerships like the North Carolina Community Schools Coalition, schools can serve as hubs for integrated support, strengthening connections between students, families, and their communities.