The Youth Mental Health Academy is a 14-month, community-based career development program for high school students. Through mentorship, paid project-based learning, and paid internships in the mental health field for high school students in marginalized communities, the Academy aims to close equity gaps, offering opportunities while augmenting the state’s behavioral health workforce.
Applications for the second cohort will be accepted in spring 2024, and a third and final cohort will begin in the summer of 2025. The Youth Mental Health Academy is administered by The Child Mind Institute.
Identify and support the early career development of 2,500 highly talented and culturally diverse California high school students interested in behavioral health careers.
Provide community-based career development to rising high school juniors and seniors from structurally marginalized communities through paid project-based learning and paid summer internships.
Launched a five-week pilot summer academy cohort which operated at four college campuses across Los Angeles.
Convened a capstone event with 400 community stakeholders and participants. The event showcased student research projects exploring topics related to health inequity, mental health disorders and trauma.
Developed year-round programming that will offer a monthly Zoom seminar on topics ranging from substance use prevention, bullying, gender, racism and neurodiversity in mental health.
In December 2022, HCAI awarded and executed a $25 million grant to Child Mind Institute to implement a program to support the early career development of 2,500 talented and culturally diverse California high school students with an interest in behavioral health careers.
