In Montgomery County multiple county agencies and affected stakeholders began meeting in March of 2023 to address an increasing concern over teen behaviors in our communities. Schools reported an increase in truancy, suspensions, and drug use. The police department was seeing an increase in teen misdemeanor crimes, drug overdoses, and turf related violence. Parents expressed concerns over drug use and cried out for access to resources. Many teens used our library spaces, particularly in the communities of concern. However, these spaces were not addressing the issues facing many teens in our community. Many of these behaviors worsened post covid. When looking closer at the statistics both locally and nationally it was clear that teen mental health had plunged post covid. In collaboration with our county’s office of innovation, MCPL sought to co-design a teen mental health week to launch a year-round campaign to provide mental health resources to teens in our community.

● This effort was codesigned by entities and agencies across the county working together toward the same goal.
● Stakeholders then codesigned our final product outcome with teens themselves to ensure authenticity.
● Raising Awareness to break the stigma surrounding mental health and encouraging open discussion among teens and their families.
● Connecting People with Resources to provide opportunities to connect with mental health professionals and local organizations offering support services.
● Offering workshops on stress management, anxiety reduction, and building healthy relationships.
● Providing opportunities for teens to express themselves creatively through events like poetry slams, drawing, and writing.
● Fostering a sense of community and belonging for teens.
● We hired Grammy Nominated Bethsheba Rem, writer of From Foster Care to Fame short stories and poems, to be our kick-off speaker.

Teen Mental Health week was a combined success of multiple agencies providing programming through DHHS, the Recreation Department, and MCPL. In total, across all three agencies no less than 30 programs were offered over a seven-day period with a large kickoff speaker. Approximately 334 teens and parents participated in our offered programming. 250 sets of Teen Mental Health Awareness outreach kits were given out to teens in our community. The first Teen Mental Health Week thrived on several elements. Well-designed marketing materials, informative resource handouts, and consistent meetings all played a part in its success. Offering a variety of events across multiple locations throughout the county made the program accessible and engaging for teens. Critically, bringing together different agencies with their expertise ensured a well-rounded program and maximized its reach.