Youth-Led Mental Health Program Seeking Participants in Coronado

Mariana Jimenez has attended Coronado schools since kindergarten and graduated from Coronado High School in 2018. She is now returning home to develop a program that helps young people understand and address mental health issues in their community.

The program, called AIM Ideas Lab, is an eight-week youth-led project to research mental health. “AIM Ideas Lab was piloted in 2022 in Monterey County by AIM Youth Mental Health as a response to mental health issues exacerbated by COVID-19,” Jimenez told me. “The goal was to empower young people to explore mental health issues in their communities and take actionable steps through evidence-based research and recommendations.”

Since then, the program has expanded to San Luis Obispo, Marin, San Diego, and the Bay Area and will be nationwide for the upcoming 2025 program. In 2024, Jimenez joined the AIM team as a consultant to help guide a group of students in San Diego. “In March, I took on the role of Program Director. Mental health, especially the mental health of young people, has always been my passion,” he explained. “Seeing the work AIM has done to support youth mental health research and working directly with a program that empowers young people to be part of mental health research has been very inspiring.”

The eight-week program allows participants to design and conduct peer-reviewed mental health research, analyze data, develop conclusions based on that data, and present findings and recommendations. Participants are divided into groups of 12 to 15 members led by counselors, such as Jimenez. They help students research and conduct research while learning important facts about their mental health. “The survey, conducted anonymously and driven by youth, reveals unique perspectives on mental health issues affecting their peers,” Jimenez explained. “The program results in students using their research and analytical skills to make informed proposals that promote young people’s mental health through forums and public speaking, empowering them to advocate for change and participate in building supportive, healthy environments.”

According to Jimenez, AIM Ideas Lab is a “culturally responsive” Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) program specifically aimed at high school students. “The program brings together students, mentors, and the AIM Scientific Advisory Board to explore and develop data-driven solutions… At its core, the AIM Ideas Lab treats young people as experts in their own mental health and gives them tools and driving skills. meaningful improvement in their communities.”

Some of the expected outcomes for participants include learning to apply scientific research to complex, real-world problems; improving mental health skills such as coping skills and self-help strategies; learning how to access mental health support and peer support; reducing the stigma around mental health through open and encouraging conversations, and more. Participants also receive at least 12 hours of community service credit through the program.

Jiminez pointed out that schools also benefit from this program. “Schools receive unique, student-generated information that provides a clearer understanding of the mental health issues affecting their student body,” he began. “This information helps to tailor school-wide support systems, interventions, and programs to meet the needs of students… This empowerment supports a positive school environment where students are better equipped to manage their lives of mental health and supporting their peers … a sense of agency, to be advocates for mental health in their school and in the wider community.”

As of the 2022 pilot year, AIM Ideas Lab has reached 226 high school students in 74 schools, collecting more than 3,200 survey responses. “The expansion of this program across the country is largely due to the students’ advocacy of mental health research in their communities. Collaboration with schools and youth organizations has been key in involving more students and sharing research with other groups. make changes.”

Past participants of this program have gone on to share their research and findings in public forums, national conferences, podcasts, and more, spreading mental health advocacy along the way.

Jimenez is grateful to have grown up in a caring community like Coronado and now hopes to give back by offering this program to local students. “Growing up in Coronado has been such a blessing—it’s such a supportive community, and I feel so grateful to have been raised here…As the program expanded into San Diego County, I knew I wanted to incorporate the city of my country to participate in this important project.”

The next eight-week program, in which Coronado High School students are invited to participate, will run from January 27 to March 17, 2025. The deadline for Coronado students to Registration for this program is November 29th. Students and the community can learn. learn more about the program, read about past AIM Ideas Lab research, and register for an upcoming session at https://aimymh.org/empowering-youth/aim-idea-lab/.

“Many young people in our community are struggling with mental health issues,” Jimenez continued. “We hope to help Coronado students gain insight into the state of mental health and develop data-backed solutions that reflect their unique perspectives.”

ATTENTION. 114, NO. 47 Nov. 20, 2024