Community Conversations - September 2025

Description

Across the country, young people are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis. From rising rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm to increasing school absences and burnout, students are struggling—and our systems are struggling to respond.

“Breaking the Silence: Addressing Youth Mental Health” is a community conversation designed to explore this urgent issue through a dialogue between healthcare professionals, school officials, and students themselves. Together, they will unpack the data, share lived experiences, examine global best practices, and offer actionable ideas for how families, schools, and communities can respond.

This conversation is especially important to the business community, as today’s youth represent tomorrow’s workforce, and addressing mental health challenges now is critical to building a resilient, productive, and thriving local economy. The well-being of our youth not only shapes the talent pipeline of the future, but also influences family stability, school performance, and long-term economic vitality—making youth mental health a priority for every business leader.

We’ll explore:

• What the numbers tell us about the current mental health crisis
• Why today’s environment is especially challenging for youth
• What’s working in communities that have made mental health a priority
• What’s at risk if we fail to act—and what we stand to gain if we do

This event isn’t just about raising awareness—it’s about mobilizing hope and action to support the well-being of our next generation.