Youth Mental Health Corps Implementation Reporting

Over 8.3 million young people under 18 struggle with anxiety or depression—13 percent of the youth population. Despite the need, more than one third of the U.S. population lives in mental health professional shortage areas, creating urgent dual crises of rising mental health needs and insufficient behavioral workforce capacity.

Purpose

The Youth Mental Health Corps (YMHC) is a multisector partnership connecting students with mental health resources while offering young adults valuable workforce experience. The program was developed in partnership between the Schultz Family Foundation and Pinterest.

WestEd is conducting case studies of newly launched Youth Mental Health Corps state programs and sites to capture early implementation experiences and inform future program development. Through a case study methodology, WestEd documents program impacts, workforce development opportunities, and lessons learned to inform policymakers, educators, and investors.

Audiences Served

This documentation serves policymakers, educators, investors, and program administrators interested in youth mental health initiatives and workforce development strategies. This also benefits the states actively partnering in the YMHC effort and other communities considering similar service-based approaches to youth mental health.

Project Activities

WestEd conducted case studies across four inaugural YMHC states using mixed-methods approaches. The team documented early implementation experiences, analyzed workforce development opportunities, and captured program impacts through qualitative research. WestEd produced four customized case studies and a comprehensive report summarizing initial experiences and implementation lessons for the YMHC to inform policymakers, educators, and investors.

Visit the Youth Mental Health Corp website to learn more.

Visit WestEd’s Center for Economic Mobility to partner with us in strengthening pathways to economic opportunity.