YouthWell Invites Santa Barbara County High School Students
 to Join Their Youth Advisory Board Internship Program.
 
YouthWell, a nonprofit dedicated to mental health awareness and advocacy, has opened the application period for its Youth Advisory Board (YAB) Internship for the 2024-25 school year.

The program offers an opportunity for ninth-12th grade high school students anywhere in Santa Barbara County to engage in mental health education, leadership development, and community advocacy.

The YAB Program aims to empower young individuals to make a positive impact on mental health awareness in their communities. Through curriculum and hands-on experience, participants will:
 
● Gain insights into current mental health issues and learn how to recognize warning signs of mental health challenges.
 
● Receive mental health education training to effectively support peers in need.
 
● Develop leadership skills through team-building exercises, program planning, public speaking, and group decision-making.
 
● Collaborate with peers to design and implement campus campaigns that raise awareness of mental health and available community resources.
 
The YAB program runs 10 months, August 2024 to May 2025, with a mandatory orientation session in May 2024. Participants are expected to commit eight-10 hours per month, which includes local cohort meetings, countywide meetings, and time implementing advocacy campaigns on their campus.

Interns will have a chance to gather with their peers from across the county for in-person retreats, and to help plan and host the annual Student Advocacy & Mental Wellness Summit.

“I learned a lot about how to help myself as well as others struggling with a mental health challenge; whether that’s the right way to ask a question, or becoming Mental Health First Aid certified,” said one Santa Barbara YAB member.

Applicants should apply by May 1 through the YouthWell website. For more information, email contact yab@youthwell.org.