Teens4TeensHelp
OUR STORY
Our journey began when we admitted our child into residential treatment for an eating disorder. Like many families navigating the mental health system, we faced confusion, fear, and isolation. It was a long road with many challenges, but along the way, we learned important lessons that we had to share.
During her recovery, Kara began speaking at local high schools, sharing her lived experience. After one of those talks, a student approached her and said that after hearing her speak the previous year, he had decided not to go through with a suicide plan and instead reached out for help.
That was the spark that led to the creation of Teens4TeensHelp.
We knew that not every student would have the chance to hear someone like Kara in person, but every teen has access to the internet. We launched a youth-led digital platform where teens could share their mental health stories of recovery, coping tools, and resources, with honesty, vulnerability, and hope.
This nonprofit is a project of love and purpose. Today, our platform is trusted not only by youth, but also by counselors, therapists, treatment centers, and schools who use our content to support recovery, engagement, and education.
This journey taught us so many lessons, but the most important thing we learned is that teens listen best to other teens, especially when it comes to their mental health.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to help teens and young adults find hope, health, and recovery from mental health and emotional challenges.
Background Statement
Our teens and young adults are suffering from a mental health crisis. Currently 60% of teens are suffering from anxiety or depression and over 1 in 4 are having thoughts of suicide. We lose 20 young people a day.
We were compelled to make a difference and created this non-profit to help others and better our world. We designed it to reach it’s audience by delivering the message via other teens and young adults, on their preferred medium – online video.
All our content is reviewed by our professional advisory board. Everything then goes through our teen advisory board to make sure if works for them in both style and content.
We are seeking funding to grow our content, programs, and outreach. We are connecting with Orange County schools and mental health organizations. We will expand our project from Orange County to Southern California.
Impact Statement
Our top accomplishments from last year include:
1. Added 20 videos, adding content and coping skills, grew social media reach to over 200,000 views.
2. Reached over 10,000 individuals on our website.
3. Collaborations with, Child Mind Institute, Transitions Mental Health Association, Northwestern University's Lab for Scalable Mental Health, UCSF, many treatment centers, schools, and mental health professionals.
4. Grew our Youth Advisory Board to over 170 and created 3 committees for eduation and outreach in their communities.
5. Attended 11 community mental health events in OC and Southern California.
6. Continued our TeenTalk and Therapy Explained series where teens interview professionals on a mental health topic and grew our video library to over 150 videos.
7. Have distributed Healthy Coping Skills Toolbox to several high school wellness rooms.
8. Participated in media, local newscast on KSBY, and several podcasts that can be seen here: https://www.teens4teenshelp.org/media
Here’s some of the feedback we’re getting:
"This is an amazing website! I’m super impressed and honestly touched. You’re going to help a tremendous amount of people with it and save lives without a doubt!" - K. England, MFT
"Teens4TeensHelp can truly be the difference in a teen’s life - it provides all the support and possible resources a teen may need when struggling. It really can be the greatest impact to a teen.
-Ariel B., age 17”
“I only wish that when I was 15, I had access to the resources you are creating now for teens. - Marjorie White”
Our Key goals this year are to:
1. Develop more media and cover new categories, System Impacted Youth, Intimate Partner Violence, Trauma, and Heartbreak/Grief.
2. To expand our reach with Orange County Unified School District, Los Angeles Unified School District, and Universities.
3. To increase funding through grants, partnerships, celebrity endorsements, and corporate sponsors.
4. To fund our youth board for in school and community presentations
5. To get more healthy coping skills toolboxes into underserved schools
Needs Statement
Our 5 most pressing needs are:
1. Funding for our youth board and their in-school and community presentations.
2. Staffing - Youth Board Manger and part time staff.
3. Funding more recovery stories, coping skills and content.
4. Translate site and healthy coping skills toolboxes into Spanish.
5. Sustainability funding.
Geographic Areas Served
Orange County, Southern California and the nation.
Top Three Populations Served
- All Populations
- Asian Americans/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (AANHPI)
- Latinos
Statement from the CEO/Executive Director
It was the worst day of my life. I remember thinking this can't be happening as I drove my daughter to the ER while trying to hold her bleeding arm together after an attempt. That was near the beginning of our journey to recovery that would take years and is still a choice she makes everyday. It's also the reason I get up each morning to see how we can help other teens, young adults, and their families heal and recover from difficult challenges.
Our teens are the canary in the coal mine, our society has a big problem that needs to be addressed if we are going to continue to have productive members of society. It is vital that we don’t lose this generation and the next that has had to face so much. Helping teens now will help prevent a cascade of negative outcomes, that impact every community -like school drop outs, addiction, crime, homelessness and more.
By providing them with hope, information, and resources we help them heal and develop their character, they can become contributing members of society. They need our support and we need your support to help them. Thank You.
CONTACT
Teens4TeensHelp
22287 Mulholland Hwy #5818
Calabasas, CA 91302
Jeff Long
Phone: 3108693500