Advocating for herself — and now for other students — helped one young Utahn overcome ‘crippling’ anxiety “I know that there are tons of people who really don’t want to hear stuff from a teenager, but I am seeing firsthand at school that there are kids who are not getting the help that they need because t...

“I know that there are tons of people who really don’t want to hear stuff from a teenager, but I am seeing firsthand at school that there are kids who are not getting the help that they need because they are scared to speak up for themselves.”
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Therapy, less screen time and ‘changing playgrounds’ helped one young Utahn improve her mental health “I'm focused on finding simple and effective ways to spread evidence-based information about mental health,” Amelia says. “I understand that the attention span of a person is getting way smaller than ...

“I’m focused on finding simple and effective ways to spread evidence-based information about mental health,” Amelia says. “The attention span of a person is getting way smaller than it ever has been, so I’m kind of using that to my advantage.”

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Helping young Utahns with their mental health ‘put the power back’ in her story “Youth Action Board … it’s like heaven on earth. To me it is the first time that, in Utah, lived experts are being given an authentic voice — but, as well as that, authentic power.”

Between the ages of 3 and 17, Natalie Clark spent six years in and out of Utah’s foster care system.

Now she’s the foster care liaison for Salt Lake County's Youth Action Board, a program that helps Utah youth who are experiencing homelessness.

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What one Utah student learned in Hope Squad helped her save a friend’s life “It’s hard to have these conversations but, as we work together, we learn how to take care of ourselves while taking care of other people.”

Maddie joined Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program, in the sixth grade.

Now in high school, Maddie says the skills she's learned in Hope Squad have helped her check in on her own mental health — and save a friend's life.
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Working with horses helped her find her voice. Now she’s helping other young women in Utah do the same. “It’s a beautiful thing to pair a young girl or a woman with a horse, a 1,200 pound animal. And then you are able to find your voice when you’re working with this horse and to build a connection with ...

Teen girls are experiencing record high levels of sadness, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

Sarah Brown of Bridle Up Hope says equine-assisted learning could be a solution for some of her peers.
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How one BYU student is helping her peers combat perfectionism and other mental health challenges “I think BYU is definitely a hodgepodge of perfectionists and overachievers. Everybody gets there wanting to do their best, but they also get down on themselves a lot. I think every college and every ...

Students battle the stress of classwork, the impacts of a pandemic and a pressure to be perfect every day, says junior Makaylee Moore.

Her own experience with body image and anxiety led her to CAPS, a unique BYU program.
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Encircle offered him a community as a young, queer Utahn. Now he’s paying it forward. “What's most rewarding for me is when we see guests connect and uplift each other, and hopefully be able to take that into their life and take that into their future.”

Up first is Shem, Encircle Provo’s assistant home director.

In high school, he sought connection through Encircle. Now, at 24 years old, he says he’s “really lucky” to be able to help other young Utahns find community and self-expression.

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Utah has a youth mental health crisis. Meet the young leaders dedicated to saving their peers’ lives and eliminating stigma. Amid a youth mental health crisis, several young Utahns are finding creative ways to save lives through connection, community, conversation and more.

I’m excited to share these candid interviews about the challenges, successes and impacts of peer-to-peer mental heath support programs in our state.

I’ll share a new interview every Tuesday and Thursday through May, Mental Health Awareness Month.

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Abbas Ehsani: Utah is a haven for Afghan refugees like me. Now Congress must act. “As my fellow Afghans and I work to establish ourselves, we also need the U.S. government to do its part: Pass the bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act, and give Afghans who risked their lives for this ...

“One new friend taught me how to drive. Another handed down a used laptop and helped me to make a resume. Others have given me eggs or vegetables from their gardens.”

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Pedram Jahangiry: How AI will shape your child’s future — and yours “If ethically and mindfully applied, AI could provide parents with insights and resources to raise happy, healthy children without surrendering our human mastery to technology,” writes Pedram Jaha...

“If ethically and mindfully applied, AI could provide parents with insights and resources to raise happy, healthy children without surrendering our human mastery to technology,” writes Pedram Jahangiry.

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Elizabeth Callaway: Before we worry about the future of AI, we need to look at its immediate dangers “Amid discussions of the singularity, AI automating us all out of our jobs and the potential extinction of the human race, I’d encourage us to focus first on the harms AI is already causing,” wr...

“Amid discussions of the singularity, AI automating us all out of our jobs and the potential extinction of the human race, I’d encourage us to focus first on the harms AI is already causing.”

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Sharad Jones: AI should reflect our collective wisdom, not our individual biases “The key to creating equitable AI tools lies in pivoting away from AI autonomy and focusing instead on human-centered assistance,” writes Sharad Jones.

“The key to creating equitable AI tools lies in pivoting away from AI autonomy and focusing instead on human-centered assistance,” writes Sharad Jones.

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