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I want to live in a community that truly makes all people a priority, not just in words, but in action. A community where youth feel seen, heard, and valued, and where their mental health, safety, and development are treated as essential. With the rise in youth violence and mental health challenges, it’s critical that we build a culture of support, accountability, and opportunity. I want a community that shows up consistently for its young people and invests in their future every single day.

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My aspiration is that we become intentional about investing in youth wellness through time, policy change, and funding. Youth today are navigating increased anxiety, depression, academic pressure, and exposure to violence. We need to respond with systems that prioritize prevention, expand access to mental health services, and create safe, structured environments where youth can grow. I want to see a county where wellness is not an afterthought, but a foundation.

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1. Lack of enrichment and safe spaces: Many youths simply do not have enough positive outlets. Limited access to after-school programs, mentorship, and skill-building opportunities leaves them vulnerable to negative influences.

2. Youth mental health crisis: There is a clear increase in anxiety, depression, trauma exposure, and behavioral challenges, often without adequate support systems in place.

3. Academic disengagement and gaps: Many youths are struggling academically, which impacts their confidence, future opportunities, and overall well-being. These challenges are often connected to unmet emotional and environmental needs.

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There is a disconnect between what people say and what is actually being done. Too often, efforts are surface-level or reactive. We tend to invest in intervention after a crisis instead of prevention before it happens. There is also a lack of collaboration, consistency, and accountability across systems. If we are serious about change, we have to move beyond performative support and commit to long-term, proactive solutions that address the root causes of youth challenges.

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To youth: Your experiences are real, and your voice matters. Seek out safe people, positive spaces, and opportunities to grow, even when they feel limited. Stay connected and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

To families: Stay engaged and present. Build open lines of communication and pay attention to changes in behavior, mood, and academic performance. Advocate for your children and connect with available community resources. Even in a system with gaps, your involvement makes a powerful difference.

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Support is needed through increased funding for prevention-based programming, access to trained mental health professionals, and stronger collaboration between schools, law enforcement, and community organizations. There also needs to be trust, transparency, and shared responsibility among stakeholders. Those of us doing the work need consistent resources, community buy-in, and leadership that is willing to prioritize youth wellness in meaningful, sustainable ways.

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Youth connecting with adults and mentors and college students -- active, moving around, engaged, focused, growing their worlds, driving their futures and reinvesting in their communities.

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Too adult focused; re-structuring agency

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Too adult focused; re-structuring agency

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Too concerned about what "we" need or what "we" think is possible. We give youth little agency and are too tired to effectuate their ideas, so we think they aren't possible. We need to allow adults to rest and facilitate, rather than lead and activate. We need to remember that we're on the same team as young people and we don't need to serve youth, we can work with them, learn from them and support their leadership for everyone's best interest.

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As someone once told me, you need to have these things in your radar each day...

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As someone once told me, you need to have these things in your radar each day...

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1. Something to do

2. Something to look forward to/be excited about

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Providing the space and opportunity for structural freedom and creativity 

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Providing the space and opportunity for structural freedom and creativity 

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I would encourage families to try to spend time together at least twice a month to learn more about each other. Once a week would be ideal but twice a month would be a great start.

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Self-control can be taught.

Feelings should be nurtured.

A child should know some joy in each day.

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Collaborating with other providers and caregivers is very helpful.  I am still learning who other providers are that share in this work.  Having community resource meetings like the one coming up is so helpful!

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Collaborating with other providers and caregivers is very helpful.  I am still learning who other providers are that share in this work.  Having community resource meetings like the one coming up is so helpful!

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Youth Violence Prevention

There are reports of several youth and/or young adult shootings in the county over the past few years.

Lack of youth activities as was stated during the in person meeting.

Youth and young adult job creation or maker spaces for entrepreneurship.

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I would tell them that resources are available!  Don't just wait for them to find you...you find them!

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I would tell them that resources are available!  Don't just wait for them to find you...you find them!

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One where there is respect and inclusion of all kinds of people with different ideas and backgrounds. I want to live in a community where people are connected and are doing their part to make that community a better place to be not just for themselves, but for others as well. Bring your ideas, bring your connections and bring others!!

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I would like to live in an community where everyone is welcome and accepted and not have so many resources be denied to so many people that truly need it

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1. Collaboration amongst orgs already serving youth

2. More youth led events and community initiatives

3. Local orgs working together to create inclusive spaces for youth

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Alamance County needs to bring more activities to the area that focuses on Youth and teen development and social activities. There needs to be age-appropriate social activities for them. Mentoring, sports, music, art, and economic development.

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I want to live in a community where I feel supported and valued. I can be free to be myself and to do what I feel is best for me.

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Unfortunate hatred and selfishness is what is keeping us from making progress with out youth wellness

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in the collaborations amplify youth voices and elevate their creativity

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I aspire to remove any stigma from finding and accepting help.  It's okay to not be okay, but it's not okay to stay that way!

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I aspire to remove any stigma from finding and accepting help.  It's okay to not be okay, but it's not okay to stay that way!

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I would tell families to reach out to any and every local resource to make sure they are connected to services.

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Opportunities and investment in youth! We need to have all kinds of organizations and private citizens to come together and bring ideas and funding information!!!

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I would like to work and live in a community were it is safe to walk outside and not have to worry about being attacked. I would like to live in a community where the youth feel comfortable talking about their concerns and feel that the community around them is willing to help them verses judging them for being young and making mistakes.

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As a community partner, we want to help create a system where adolescents can access mental health and substance use treatment early. Youth wellness is strengthened by timely access, family support, and treatment options designed specifically for adolescents.

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The lack of support from our County Commissioner and City Council in regards to our youth and families. Getting their buy in on how important our youth and families welling being is. From youth engagement activities, supportive outreach events and funding to support our communities

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As a young adult, the pains of adolescence are still fresh on the mind. If I could have heard one thing, it would be that it is normal to feel however it is you feel. You're treated like a child, expected to act like an adult, and trying to figure out who you are, what you want, and what you deserve. It's really hard. No one may understand the specific experiences you have had to culminate in who you are, but everyone has gone through something similar, and they can empathize with you. That said, here is my general advice.

1) It's okay to have NO idea. You do not have to have it all figured out. You have a whole life ahead of you to figure it out.

2) It is normal to feel really sad, angry, and upset in your teenage years, whether that's with your situation, the world, or even yourself. Just remember that the turmoil of being a teen will end, and you'll get to enjoy being in your twenties, thirties, and all the way up. But you'll only get to experience the joys of life if you stick around long enough to see them.

3) Use your anger. Turn it into radical desire for change. You may only be one person, but your voice can make others act, and there will be ripples outward. If you hate the system, don't give into it. Reimagine it.

4) Speaking of having a life ahead of you, take care of your body. I'm 22 and my back is killing me because I have terrible posture. Drink your water, yada yada.

5) Please please please please don't use AI for everything. Assignments are there to teach you how to think and be a functioning adult. You don't want to be that person who can't think because they never learned how to when you grow up.

6) Try not to make any life-altering decisions before your prefrontal cortex develops in your mid-20s (tattoos, babies, marriage, etc.). Well, tattoos are probably fine, but it helps to have impulse control and emotional regulation and long-term planning skills if you're going to make irreversible decisions.

7) Nothing matters more than the people around you. Reach out to them, and they will be there for you. Take care of yourself and ask for help so that you can be there for others when they need it. You cannot pour from a glass that is empty, so fill yourself, and your joy will overflow into others.

8) And lastly, older people know what they're talking about! (This is where I would have rolled my eyes a few years ago.) They have been through a lot of the same things. They are not your enemy, and they will be there for you if you trust them. (Obviously, if they're someone who deserves your trust. Not everyone is trustworthy.) Older people can forget what youth is like, and they might need a reminder, but they have good advice. They also could benefit from being shaken up a bit. The best thing about being young is believing things can be different. We don't need to do things the way they've always been done.

You are a voice deserving of having a seat at the table. You can achieve so much, professionally or in community. Success isn't determined by your career unless you define it that way. A successful person can be a loving one, a kind one, a family member, a friend, a shoulder to cry on. Believing that everything will work out for the best eventually has been so beneficial for me, and I truly believe that you will become the person you think you will become. If you think you'll amount to very little, that's exactly what will happen. If you believe that you will persevere and succeed and learn and grow, that is what you will do.

Keep going. Make the world you want to live in. You are not helpless.

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I want a community where youth truly believe that they have opportunities ahead of them, where they have a positive outlook for where we're going.