Strong Minds, Bright Futures: A Partnership For Child Mental Wellbeing

05/28/2026

05/28/2026

Strong futures start with strong support.

Thank you to Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 for bringing students, educators, and community partners together through this recent resource fair focused on life beyond high school.

Connecting students with supports at events like this help make opportunities and resources easier to reach.

We believe strong partnerships between schools, families, and community organizations are essential to supporting student wellbeing and helping young people feel prepared for what comes next.

We’re grateful to see this work happening in communities across Pennsylvania.

05/28/2026

*******DEADLINE REMINDER******

Know a young person ready to lead?

The Strong Minds Advocacy Council is accepting applications from youth and young adults ages 14–25 who want to help shape solutions to PA's youth mental health crisis.

Participants will build advocacy skills, share their perspective, and receive a stipend.

Applications due May 29.
Apply: strongmindsPA.org/youth-advocacy/

Please share with youth, families, schools, and community organizations in your network.

05/28/2026

“I wish people could see I was struggling.”

That simple sentence says so much about what young people across Pennsylvania are experiencing.

Students often know they need support long before systems respond. That is why mental health support must be easier to reach earlier—in schools, communities, and trusted spaces where young people already spend their lives.

At Strong Minds, Bright Futures, we believe young people should not have to reach a crisis before someone notices.

The mental health crisis is real, but solutions exist. Join us!
strongmindspa.org

05/27/2026

Strong Minds, Bright Futures was proud to participate in Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services' Mental Health Awareness Day at Conestoga Playground in Philadelphia.

It was a meaningful afternoon with families, children, and community partners coming together to share resources, build connections, and highlight the importance of child mental wellbeing.

Events like this remind us that support should be easy to reach and rooted in the places children and families already trust: schools, neighborhoods, playgrounds, and community spaces.

Thank you to the Philadelphia System of Care and all of the partners who helped make the day possible during Mental Health Awareness Month.

05/26/2026

Strong Minds, Bright Futures was honored to join the Perinatal Action Collaborative, led by Jewish Healthcare Foundation, at the Maternal Mental Health Symposium in Blair County.

Supporting children means supporting parents too. When children, mothers, and families can access support earlier, it strengthens the foundation for children and helps make support easier to reach.

That is why Strong Minds, Bright Futures is working to expand parent-child mental health services across PA so families can receive support together before challenges become crises.

Thank you to Jewish Healthcare Foundation and partners across Blair County for helping lead this important conversation during Mental Health Awareness Month.

05/22/2026

One year ago, Strong Minds, Bright Futures set out to build the foundation for children’s mental health reform in Pennsylvania.

Today, during Mental Health Awareness Month, we are reflecting on what that work has made possible:

116 partners across 61 counties.
5 practical reforms.
A shared commitment to helping children get support earlier, closer to home, and before crisis.

This first year was about listening, aligning, building public education tools, elevating youth and family voice, and preparing for the next phase.

Now the work moves forward: building public awareness, political will, and administrative action so more children can get support before crisis.

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/RVuex7fk9iM?si=l7BoS_zIDolEJ870

Over the last year, Strong Minds, Bright Futures built the foundati...

05/20/2026

This is what prevention can look like in schools.

Last week, the School District of Philadelphia’s Office of Prevention and Intervention hosted its first Youth Mental Health Symposium, bringing together 600 middle and high school students for workshops, wellness activities, and community resources.

Strong Minds, Bright Futures was proud to be part of a day focused on helping young people build coping skills, manage stress, strengthen relationships, and connect with support.

Thank you to Meghan Smith and the Office of Prevention and Intervention for creating space for students, educators, and community partners to come together during Mental Health Awareness Month.

05/19/2026

This Mental Health Awareness Month, Strong Minds, Bright Futures is focused on what works.

Children and families do better when support is easier to access, starts earlier, and is available in the places people already turn to for help, like schools, communities, and trusted local organizations.

Mental health challenges should not have to become crises before families can get support.

That’s why we continue advocating for prevention-focused solutions that strengthen families, expand access to care, and build more sustainable mental health systems across Pennsylvania.

Because stronger families create stronger communities.

05/19/2026

This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re reminded how important it is to bring people together around prevention, access, and practical solutions.

Yesterday, Strong Minds, Bright Futures attended NAMI Keystone PA’s 2026 Pennsylvania Mental Health and Wellness Conference in Harrisburg alongside advocates, providers, educators, and community leaders from across the state.

Our colleagues, Kate Fox and David Heayn-Menendez from Children First, presented “Prevention First: Building Sustainable Mental Health Systems Through Early Intervention and Medicaid Innovation,” focused on building stronger systems with sustainable fundinging that make support easier to access before challenges become crises.

We were grateful not only to share our work, but also to learn from so many thoughtful presentations and reconnect with friends and partners committed to improving mental health across Pennsylvania.

Thank you to NAMI Keystone PA for hosting such an important event.

NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania Children First

05/15/2026

Strong mental health support starts with connection, trusted relationships, and making resources easier to reach.

This week, Strong Minds, Bright Futures joined the Colonial Academy Resource Fair, where students and educators connected with community organizations focused on supporting young people both in and outside of school.

From mental health resources to planning for life after high school, events like this help build stronger pathways to support and show students they do not have to navigate challenges alone.

Thank you to Colonial Academy for creating space for students, educators, and community partners to come together.

Colonial IU20 Parent Support Team CommunityPage