There’s a Mental Health Crisis for Adolescents, One Circle Provides a Solution 

Report after report and a seemingly endless stream of articles have recently been released showing that youth and teen mental health is in crisis. Persistent sadness, hopelessness, and attempts of suicide are up across the board, and the numbers increase for youth of color, LGBTQ+ youth, and girls. 

“According to new CDC data, nearly 3 in 5 (57%) U.S. teen girls felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021—double that of boys, representing a nearly 60% increase and the highest level reported over the past decade.

The report also found more than half (52%) of LGBQ+ students had recently experienced poor mental health and that more than 1 in 5 (22%) attempted suicide in the past year. Black students were more likely to attempt suicide than students of other races and ethnicities”

“The Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found that 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.

These statistics are cause for alarm, serious concern, and direct action. One Circle Foundation wants to make it as easy as possible for caring adults like you to step up and help young ones get through this difficult time.” 

All OCF program models and curricula provide a variety of resiliency factors for adolescents, but we have identified 4 activity guides aimed specifically at supporting mental health and have dropped the price by 10% now through April. Purchase Online!

• Girls Circle: Wise & Well has a session specifically on mental health with envisioning a healthy life, as well as learning how to cope through hard times, being agents of change online, goal creation, and examining various aspects of substance abuse.
• Unity Circle: PRIDE supports the development of resilience, empowerment, honoring one's self and community, and creates a safe peer space for youth and teens within the LGBTQ+ community and allies, with no requirement of self-disclosure needed to participate. Being seen and respected for one's true identity is a resiliency factor for teens.
• The Council for Boys and Young Men: Growing Healthy, Going Strong focuses on emotions and feelings, creating healthy connections, engaging in healthy competition, and examining gender roles, expectations, and identity.
• Girls Circle: Empowerment and Identity on Social Media explores how adolescents are affected by social media, how they can engage in empathy, allyship, empowerment, and safety in online spaces, as well as how to be a leader within their online community.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health and needs to talk with someone now, call or text 988 and chat with the Crisis Lifeline.