Youth Service America Expands Youth-Led Initiatives

 

As concerns around teen mental health continue to grow, more people are starting to look beyond traditional solutions and toward something just as powerful: young people themselves.

That’s where Youth Service America (YSA) comes in. The organization is focused on empowering teens through service and leadership, partnering with schools, nonprofits, and youth-led groups to support projects that young people design and lead. Every year, their work reaches thousands of teens tackling real issues in their communities, from mental health to food insecurity to education.

And the need is real. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in three high school students reports feeling persistently sad or hopeless. Mental health professionals say that while therapy and clinical care are essential, community-based approaches, especially ones led by peers, are becoming just as important in helping teens feel seen, supported, and connected.

YSA leans into that idea by focusing on what are often called “protective factors”, things like connection, purpose, and belonging. When teens are given the chance to lead, create, and serve, it doesn’t just help others; it changes how they see themselves.

“Service can be a powerful tool for connection,” said Alejandra Wells, 18, founder of Hiya. “When teens see the impact of their actions, it can shift how they view themselves and their role in their communities.”

You can see that in action through YSA-supported programs. In Chicago, students with the iCAN KIDS Walter Payton Prep Chapter and their high school’s National Honor Society recently organized and delivered comfort kits to families staying at the Ronald McDonald House: Lurie Children's Hospital, combining service, leadership, and peer connection in one project. The kits included essentials, comfort items, books, socks, stuffed animals, coloring books, and handmade cards created by students.

The project took place during Youth Service Month and was supported through a grant from Youth Service America and The Hershey Company through The Heartwarming Project.

Chicagoan Charity Ramos, 17, a junior and chapter member, said in a press release she loved working with other teens to assemble the kits and make the personalized cards. “It felt meaningful to see our personalities shine through the project and to know we’re bringing comfort to families,” Ramos said.

“Writing the grant and reaching out to partners for donations, then seeing it all come together into actual care packages was incredible,”  Leo Larvick, 17, a senior and chapter member, said in a press release. “It felt good knowing that we were doing something that could make a stressful situation a little easier for someone else.”

 

And closer to home in Omaha, Hiya hosted a Mental Health Fair at Burke High School that brought students, community partners, and volunteers together in a shared effort to break stigma and support one another. The event was also supported in part by the YSA-Hershey Company grant.

YSA also leads Global Youth Service Month, a worldwide initiative that mobilizes millions of young people to give back to their communities. At its core, the message is simple but important: young people aren’t just facing challenges, they’re leading solutions.

And that shift in perspective matters.

“Too often, young people are defined by the challenges they face,” Wells said. “What YSA does is flip that narrative to what they can lead, build, and change.”

Of course, service alone isn’t a replacement for professional mental health care. But organizations like YSA are helping fill an important gap, creating spaces where young people feel connected, valued, and empowered to take care of themselves and each other.