PA Youth Advocacy Series Participants Present Mental Health Policy Recommendations at Finale
Type: News
Focus Area: Teen Mental Health
A group of participants share their policy recommendations for mental health education in schools with Assistant Director of the Office of School Climate and Well-Being Dr. Dana Milakovic.
Twenty-five Pennsylvania high school students from 18 schools concluded the PA Youth Advocacy Network’s fifth annual PA Youth Advocacy Series on March 10, presenting policy recommendations aimed at strengthening mental health supports in schools.
Hosted virtually from February 3 through March 10, the six-week program equipped students with advocacy and policy skills to help influence education and health systems across the state. Throughout the series, participants worked in groups to explore advocacy topics, including community mapping, understanding local and state policy levers, coalition building, and effective communication.
Guest speakers throughout the series included Lindsey Mauldin, deputy chief of staff for Health and Human Services in Governor Josh Shapiro’s Office; Meghna Patel, deputy secretary of Health and Human Services Policy and Planning in the Governor’s Policy Office; and youth advocate Joy Oranwa. Community partners, including Kate Fox of Children’s First, Sophia Duck of The Mentoring Partnership, Madeline Mitchell of Touchstone Foundation, Alex Karns-Waters of Youth Move PA, Talia Akiva of The Beacon, Sara Guiang of The Advocacy Institute, Elika Almeida and Cheryl Adams of Youth Infusion, and Jeff Hanley of the Commonwealth Prevention Alliance, joined practice roundtable discussions and supported youth in their learning and recommendation development.
Teen facilitators Antell Cole, Emily Kadosh, and Amaro Gallini helped guide the cohort throughout the program and shared their experiences in mental health advocacy as part of a youth voice panel.
During the program, students researched issues affecting youth well-being and developed one-page policy recommendations focused on topics such as expanding mental health curricula, addressing substance use, strengthening school counseling, fostering belonging in schools, and improving connections between schools and community-based organizations.
The series culminated in the March 10 finale, where participants presented their proposals and received feedback from policymakers and mental health leaders, including Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, Assistant Director of the Office of School Climate and Well-Being Dr. Dana Milakovic, School Counselor Advisor Karen Rubican, Prevention Sector Chief Sadie Grace Kindt, and Tara Ruby, district office director for Rep. Smith-Wade-El.
In reflecting on their experience in the advocacy series, participants shared that it was empowering to hear what other schools across the state are doing to address teen mental health, to know they have peers across the state who are engaged with this topic and working toward making change, and to have a safe space to build confidence with the leadership and advocacy skills they have learned.
“I had such a great experience participating in the advocacy series because I got to meet so many different people," said teen facilitator Emily Kadosh. "I really learned a lot from everybody’s different perspectives and experiences, along with learning more about how mental health is represented in schools.”
