Serve Virginia recently announced $100,000 in planning grant funding from the Schultz Family Foundation, Pinterest, and AmeriCorps to support the creation of a new Youth Mental Health Corps program in Virginia as part of a national initiative to help youth access critical mental health resources.

Mental health and substance use disorder affects young Virginians at higher rates than peers in other states. According to Mental Health America, Virginia ranks 48th out of 51 for youth mental health risk factors, indicating that young Virginians are more likely to experience mental illness and have lower rates of access to care than youth in other states. The 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, collected and analyzed by the Virginia Department of Health, also demonstrates an increase in the percentage of students that report feeling sad or hopeless and have seriously considered attempting suicide.

In response to this crisis in the Commonwealth as well as America’s national youth mental health crisis, Virginia is joining forces with 10 other states, the Schultz Family Foundation, Pinterest and AmeriCorps to recruit, train, and deploy the first Youth Mental Health Corps.

“In keeping with ongoing efforts to deliver needed behavioral health and crisis care through ‘Right Help, Right Now’, the Youth Mental Health Corps will strengthen the Commonwealth's services and behavioral health profession while supporting our most important asset, our children,” said First Lady of Virginia Suzanne S. Youngkin. “We are honored that Virginia was chosen as one of only eleven states taking part in this transformational effort.”

In Virginia, the Youth Mental Health Corps will utilize a near-peer model to engage young adults in national service opportunities through AmeriCorps to deliver expanded and enhanced services to youth, resulting in expanded mental health services for youth and workforce development opportunities for young adults. Serve Virginia will also establish “service-to-career” pathways for national service members, increasing the number of individuals with voluntary certifications who choose to work in the behavioral health field.

“By working to leverage AmeriCorps resources to address critical community needs, this new program will serve youth who are often unable to access mental health resources,” said Serve Virginia Director Kathy J. Spangler. “Serve Virginia is uniquely positioned to lead this effort and we are grateful for the opportunity to convene state-wide partners in the work of realizing the Virginia Youth Mental Health Corps.”

For more information about the Youth Mental Health Corps and national service in Virginia, please visit ServeVirginia.org/mental-health.

Youth Mental Health Corps is a collaborative initiative that will support youth mental health in schools and communities while giving over 500 young adults on-ramps into behavioral health careers. Learn more at YouthMentalHealthCorps.org.