URBANA, Ill. — Many adults feel unprepared to navigate conversations around mental health with the young people in their care. During Mental Health Awareness Month and beyond, University of Illinois Extension and Illinois 4-H are encouraging schools, after-school programs, and families to focus on the small actions that can help young people feel supported.
“Mental health is not just something we should focus on in May. It’s something we need to be paying attention to year-round,” said Roxana Cejeda, University of Illinois Extension 4-H youth readiness and new audiences outreach associate. “Young people may not always directly say they are struggling, which is why the relationship matters. Supporting youth mental health often starts with creating spaces where young people feel safe.”
According to a survey conducted by National 4-H in 2020, 7 in 10 teens reported struggling with mental health challenges and were three times more likely to feel pressure to hide their feelings than pressure to drink or use drugs.
Extension experts say supporting youth mental health often begins with creating supportive, nonjudgmental environments for young people. That could include simple check-ins at the start of meetings, opportunities for youth to participate in different ways, and intentional conversations that help youth feel supported.
“A big part of supporting youth mental health is simply being a safe person who is willing to listen,” said Emilia Elabed, 4-H youth development educator serving Grundy, Kankakee, and Will counties. “Sometimes young people just need someone they trust who will hear them without judgment and make them feel safe talking about what they’re experiencing.”
Providing research-based information is a core part of Illinois Extension and 4-H’s mission. Elabed and Cejeda say there are many resources available to help navigate mental health topics in youth for parents, guardians, teachers, and others who support youth.
Youth mental health resources
Crisis resources
- If you or someone you know is facing a mental health crisis, there are local, state, and national resources to help.
Understanding mental health in…
Mental health topics
Parenting and youth resources
- How can we support youth’s mental well-being?
- Parenting and practical advice for families
- Building purpose in your teens
- Helping children build resilience
- Building self-esteem in youth
- Helping teens develop social awareness
- Communicating with children during stressful times
- Helping children cope with stress
- Helping teens deal with stress
- The truth about screen time
- Help your teen navigate relationships
- Terrific Teachable Moments app: Reinforce positive behaviors through mini lessons on social and emotional learning.
Organizational resources
- Building belonging resources — comprehensive resources to build understanding on different backgrounds, identities, experiences, and perspectives in order to create welcoming spaces where all young people feel valued.
- Wellness in Nature — Support wellness in your community or organization with a downloadable guide of resources.
- Your Thoughts Matter — Your Thoughts Matter is a requestable youth program for schools and organizations which teaches about mental health and its impact on those around us.
Stress
- Stress and coping resources
- Health effects of stress
- Causes of stress
- Recognizing stress
- Do’s and don’ts of stress
- Stress management
- Farm Stress Assistance — Families in the agricultural industry face unique stressors which can negatively impact the mental health of those involved. Many resources are available, including free Mental Health Services Vouchers for producers and their families request a voucher or solicitar un vale.
Healthy lifestyle aspects
- Purposeful living
- Time management
- Sleep and rest
- Nourish your body
- Work-life balance
- Body in motion
- Set boundaries
Mental health is not one size fits all
Extension experts emphasize that mental health looks different across the spectrum of society, making intentional conversations and understanding especially important when working with youth, who often don’t know how to verbalize their needs.
“Mental health is not a one-size-fits-all conversation,” said Cejeda. “It looks different across identities, cultures, age groups, and experiences. In many communities, mental health is still something people don’t openly talk about, which is why creating spaces for these conversations matters so much.”
As part of its ongoing youth engagement efforts, Illinois 4-H has explored ways to foster more youth-led conversations about mental health and identity through discussion prompts and peer-centered activities. These conversations help young people see themselves reflected in the topics being discussed.
“When young people can find their own identity in somebody else talking about these topics, it really helps them,” said Elabed. “Representation matters because it helps youth see that these conversations are for everyone and that they belong in these spaces too.”
Learn about youth mental health, build relationships, then act
For youth development professionals looking for practical steps, Extension youth development experts encourage a simple approach: learn the signs, build trusting relationships with youth, and act when concerns arise.
“While educators and other people who work with children are not expected to serve as mental health professionals, they can play an important role in recognizing changes in behavior within supportive environments and helping connect young people with additional support,” said Elabed. “Be the safe person within a safe space. That goes a long way.”
Creating consistent, nonjudgmental spaces where young people feel comfortable expressing themselves can help adults better recognize when something may be wrong and help youth feel safer asking for help.
This is important, according to Cejeda, because youth may not always communicate directly when they are struggling, which is why paying attention is important. Withdrawal, disengagement, sudden emotional changes, or unusual reactions may indicate that a young person needs additional support or intervention.
“When we think about supporting youth mental health, it does not always have to start with a major intervention,” Cejeda said. “Sometimes it’s the small things: checking in, listening, giving youth options for how they participate, or simply helping them feel seen and heard. That can make the biggest difference.”
Supporting the people who support youth
Conversations about youth mental health must also include the mental well-being of the adults who support those youth every day. Teachers, volunteers, staff, and parents often balance a heavy workload when serving as the “trusted adult,” said Cejeda.
“Burnout is very real. Especially since after the COVID-19 pandemic, I don’t think we’ve quite recovered a sense of normalcy,” said Cejeda. “We’ve gotten better at talking about mental health, but we aren’t great at putting that into practice. We now have to ask ourselves what actions we’re going to take to actually support ourselves and others.”
Cejeda said supporting youth begins with supporting the adults who care for them, including creating workplace cultures where staff feel heard, respected, and comfortable asking for help when they need it. She added that it’s also important to be open and honest with youth:
“There is this stigma in our line of work around needing to always show up at 100%, but this is to the detriment of the youth in our care. Kids know when you are having an off day. They need to know that it’s healthy to show up for life with different emotions and varying levels of ‘feeling okay’."
“As adults, we have hard days, and that’s okay. When you are having a bad day, verbalize it, ‘Kids, I’m a little stressed today, so if I seem quieter or need an extra moment, that’s why’,” Cejeda said. “That models healthy emotional awareness and shows them that it’s okay to not feel okay 100% of the time and models healthy ways to work through those feelings.”
Stay positive and reach out when needed
Illinois Extension encourages all to remember that mental health challenges are common and that support is available.
“Sometimes you aren’t the best person to talk to, you’re not a counselor, and that’s okay. It’s important to just have the conversations and then reach out for help when you need it,” said Elabed, who added that if issues persist, become worse, or a youth expresses a desire to hurt themselves or others, then it’s time to loop in a professional counselor or utilize crisis resources.
Mental health and wellness resources from Illinois Extension, including educational materials for youth, families, educators, and organizations, are available online alongside crisis and support resources for those seeking additional help.
“We can always help teachers find resources, come into classrooms to teach on mental health, or provide resources to help,” Elabed said.
In emergencies or mental health crises, contact crisis resources immediately.
Find your local Illinois Extension office at: go.illinois.edu/ExtensionOffice.
SOURCES: Roxana Cejeda, 4-H Youth Readiness and New Audiences Outreach Associate, Illinois Extension; Emilia Elabed, 4-H Youth Development Educator, Illinois Extension.
WRITER: Anthony Warmack, Communications and Marketing Program Coordinator, Illinois Extension.
EDITORS: Carissa Nelson, Interim Director of Marketing and Communications, Illinois Extension; Brooke Katcher, 4-H Recruitment and Engagement Coordinator, Illinois Extension.
INTERVIEWS: Contact Anthony Warmack, warmacka@illinois.edu, to request specialist interviews on this topic
MEDIA ACCESS: Images to run with this story may be downloaded for media use.
About Illinois 4-H: Illinois 4-H is the flagship youth development program of University of Illinois Extension, administered through the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Through hands-on learning and life-changing experiences, Illinois 4-H prepares youth to be Beyond Ready — ready for college, career, military service, entrepreneurship, and more. Young people build confidence, leadership, and resilience as they explore interests from agriculture to computer science. Independent research and national surveys confirm the powerful outcomes of 4-H: participants are 40% more likely to pursue a college degree, twice as likely to obtain technical training, and two times more likely to serve in the military. With a legacy of cultivating leaders, Illinois 4-H continues to grow the next generation who are equipped to thrive in life and work today and beyond.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 500 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.