A candid conversation about the challenges young people face and the tools they can use to handle them.
This one-hour conversation, conducted on January 22, 2024, includes:
* Context and recent research about teen mental health
* Discussion about funding counseling services in high school
* Strategies for enabling teens to run their own projects/solutions
* What schools/parents need to help them support their kids
Panelists
Carolina Cuadros, a freshman at UC Berkeley, contributed to KALW's 2022 and 2023 Summer Podcasting Institute teams. She produced an episode for the tbh podcast about how students honored the life of a classmate who died from a fentanyl overdose.
Nico Fischer, a Santa Clara High School sophomore and cross country and track and field competitor, is a high school fellow with San Jose Strong, a commissioner on the Santa Clara County Youth Task Force, a member of the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Student Advisory Team, and a member of the KQED Youth Advisory Board.
Lishaun Francis is senior director of behavioral health at Oakland-based nonprofit Children Now, where she supports its mental health and trauma work.
Melissa Ambrose is wellness coordinator for Jefferson Union High School District in San Mateo County.
Moderator Liza Ramrayka is a freelance social justice and solutions journalist, KALW Audio Academy alum and current Solutions Journalism Network teen mental health fellow.
Please click the listen button above the photo to hear the discussion.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
For more information about mental health and wellness support, contact:
- California Parent & Youth Helpline: 877-427-2736
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
- Crisis Textline: Text HOME to 741-741
- The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ+ youth): 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678
