PA Youth Advocacy News: Youth Wins Leadership Award, Teens Featured on Podcast, and Panelists Discuss Ways to Amplify Youth Voice

Teens discuss why mental health matters and the work they are doing to amplify youth voices in discussions about teen mental health at The Friendship Circle’s Teens Talk event.

PA Youth Advocacy Network youth advocate Mohammad Shedeed is the Pennsylvania NAMI 2023 Youth Mental Health Leadership Award essay contest winner. Shedeed, a senior at South Fayette High School, wrote about the mental health stigma he has witnessed, his work as a teen mental health advocate, and his vision for the future. Read more

In a special episode of the Mentor Chat podcast, The Mentoring Partnership staffers Michelle Thomas and Ashley Wineland interview youth advocates Chavi Beck, Aneesha Kandala, and Giavanna Cella, youth advocates in the PA Youth Advocacy Network, to share their thoughts about youth mental health and how adults can offer support by listening and elevating their voice. Listen here

PA Youth Advocacy partnered with The Friendship Circle for a teen panel on "Why Mental Health Matters" at The Friendship Circle's Teens Talk community wellness and resource fair February 26. The discussion centered on the importance of mental health, its impact teen mental health has on the community, and ways to advocate for and amplify youth voices. More about the event in this article from the Jewish Chronicle.