🧠⚡ Mind Matters: Mental Wellness for Future Leaders
🎒 An Afterschool Leadership Lab for Ages 15–18
🗣️ Real Conversations. Powerful Tools. Lifelong Impact.
High school students are under more pressure than ever—and they know mental health is non-negotiable. What they need is space to talk about it, skills to manage it, and support to lead change.
Mind Matters is an honest, student-led afterschool program where teens explore mental health with depth, courage, and creativity. From stress to stigma, anxiety to identity, this is where teens build self-awareness, resilience, and leadership around the most important conversation of their lives.
It’s not therapy. It’s mental health empowerment.
🧭 How It Works
Each week blends group dialogue, creative expression, real-life skill-building, and student-led activism through:
🧠 Mental Health Literacy: Understanding mental health challenges (like depression, anxiety, burnout, trauma) and how to recognize signs in themselves and others.
🛠️ Coping & Self-Regulation: Building a personal toolkit of strategies—from grounding and journaling to exercise, music, and support systems.
💬 Brave Spaces for Real Talk: Safe, facilitated peer discussion on identity, emotions, stigma, social media, body image, relationships, and more.
🗳️ Youth Advocacy & Activism: Learning how to lead change—at school, online, or in their community—through campaigns, storytelling, or policy work.
🎨 Creative Expression: Music, spoken word, zines, digital storytelling, and other outlets to explore and share their mental health journeys.
🛠️ Sample Projects + Experiences
Teens co-create their own experience, choosing missions like:
🧱 Break the Stigma Wall: Collaboratively design an installation, mural, or digital campaign challenging stereotypes about mental illness.
📢 #MyMindMatters Campaign: Launch a social media series, podcast, or short film where teens share stories, strategies, and support.
📒 Mental Health Zine or Blog: Write and illustrate a personal or collective zine exploring mental health from a youth perspective.
🧑⚖️ Mental Health Advocacy at School: Audit your school’s support systems and propose changes—more counselors, mental health days, wellness space, etc.
🧘♂️ Wellness Lab: Test and track different mental health practices (like mindfulness, movement, journaling, sleep hygiene) and share what works.
🎉 Mind Matters Summit
At the end of the program, students lead a Mind Matters Youth Summit, where they:
🎤 Present personal or group projects to peers, parents, educators, and community leaders
🎨 Display zines, art, or media created throughout the program
🧠 Lead mental wellness activities like a guided meditation or coping skill demo
🎓 Receive Leadership in Mental Wellness Certificates + service learning hours
It’s not just a showcase. It’s a shift in culture—led by youth.
🎁 Tools for Ongoing Impact
Each student receives a Mind Matters Kit, including:
📒 Digital Mental Health Journal Template
🛠️ Build-Your-Own Coping Plan
📢 Mental Health Advocacy Toolkit
📚 Curated Resources List (apps, hotlines, books, podcasts, tools)
📘 College & Career Mental Wellness Planning Guide
Optional: Access to mentorship, internship credits, and youth mental health leadership networks.
🌟 What Teens Walk Away With
🧠 Clarity: A deeper understanding of mental health and their own emotional patterns.
💬 Confidence: The courage to speak up, ask for help, and support others.
💡 Skills: Tangible tools for managing stress, burnout, anxiety, and everyday pressure.
🎤 Voice: Empowerment to challenge stigma and lead meaningful change.
🌱 Resilience: A belief that they can face challenges—and thrive.
✨ Because Mental Health Isn’t a Trend—It’s a Life Skill
Mind Matters gives teens the language, tools, and leadership space to prioritize their wellness—and empower others to do the same.
🧠 Their minds.
🗣️ Their message.
🚀 Their future.
Let the transformation begin.