From social skills to social media, school, relationships, and discovering their own sense of self, teenagers face challenges that can sometimes exact a toll on their mental health.

That’s why a teen-to-teen outreach program in Brooklyn called “Beyond the Stigma” is trying to reach those who may be struggling.

Helping teens break free

The summer peer-to-peer outreach and counseling program is run through the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. Teens learn vital communication skills, take part in workshops surrounding mental health, and learn valuable resources for help.

Statistics around teen mental health highlight the need for programs like this, with as many as 1 in 3 high school students reporting their mental health was “not good” most or all of the time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“They can actually not only help their peers, they could help adults in their lives, too, in terms of providing them with those same resources,” said Dr. Marilyn Fraser, CEO at the Ashe Institute.

Fraser said participants are transformed by the end of the program.

“People may not know where to find those resources,” she said. “We’re also in communities where people do not like talking about mental health and there’s a lot of stigma associated with that.”

Fraser said artificial intelligence and social media are providing new challenges for today’s youth.

“It takes us so much more in terms of effort to have them break free from that space, and that comes with talking to them, understanding what is going on, understanding some of the challenges,” she said.

“It’s not going to get easier”

High schoolers Sarai Noel, 17, and Jamir Morgridge, 18, participated in the program. They shared some of the things they learned.

“Sometimes a response isn’t required for when you’re listening to people speak,” Noel said.

“I feel like mental health is not really talked about. Especially as a Black man, it feels like mental health is all, it’s just a stigma,” Morgridge said. “I also learned how to be a voice … Express, like, it’s OK to be mad, it’s OK to feel sad. You don’t have to hide it.”

“Being in this program has taught me to slow down and, like, take a breath,” Noel said.

Noel and Morgridge said their mental health knowledge was limited before they went into the program.

“I basically knew nothing. In school, it’s something that’s breezed over,” Noel said.

“We always skip past it,” Morgridge said.

They also learned to be alert for red flags.

“Sometimes, people just giving away their things,” Noel said.

“They’re willing to more stay inside, cut off their phone,” Morgridge said.

Through the program, these teens have reduced their own social media use, and both say they plan to stay the course in mental health studies.

“I feel like this program really helped me at that, finding my passion in psychology and social science,” Morgridge said.

“These are people in our community,” Noel said. “It’s something that we need to learn now because it’s not going to get easier as we get older.”