Five years ago, OCDE’s Youth Development program asked itself how it could create a mental health program for students that would have a lasting impact beyond simply raising awareness. The answer? Let the students lead the way — after all, when have kids ever listened to adults more than their peers?
Fast forward to today, the Student Advocates for Mental Health program is engaging, training and supporting students, parents and staff to build school cultures that prioritize mental health. With partnerships across 79 schools in 22 districts, each SAMH initiative is shaped by student input, ensuring a unique approach at every site.
“There is just so much power in peer influence,” said Stephanie Loscko, a program specialist for OCDE’s Youth Development Programs.
At each participating school, a student group or club takes on the role of SAMH ambassador. They start by assessing the student body’s overall outlook on mental health, and from there, implement the resources provided by OCDE to create mental health projects and events that stimulate a supportive environment.
These student-led initiatives come in many forms. Some groups focus on specific projects to raise mental health awareness, such as a video production class at Los Alamitos High School, where students produced the winning film in the Mental Health Category at the Directing Change Film Contest. Other groups, like Club Live at McGarvin Intermediate School in the Garden Grove Unified School District, have organized mental health fairs to educate and provide valuable resources for their peers.
To date, the impact of these efforts has been substantial. In the 2023-2024 school year alone, SAMH helped guide 1,065 student advocates from 43 schools to implement 56 mental health projects, reaching an estimated 30,000 students, 1,100 staff and 1,500 parents, according to data collected by SAMH. Additionally, over 90 percent of those impacted reported learning something new from the program’s resources and events. More importantly, more than 90 percent of the same group said they now know where to seek help for mental health concerns.
For many of the students involved, the experience has been transformative.
“The Student Advocates for Mental Health program has been one of the most important activities I’ve been part of in high school,” an unnamed student participant said. “Not only has it allowed me to bring mental health awareness and change to my school, but it has personally helped me become a better advocate and support for my friends. The various techniques, messages and strategies we learned allowed me to understand and address my own mental health and those that turned to me for help.”
Stories like these fuel SAMH and highlight the very reason it was created. By challenging mental health stigmas and instilling confidence in students to address not only their own struggles but also those of their peers, SAMH has made a significant breakthrough in improving student mental health across Orange County and hopes to widen its impact in the future.