Youth Education Resources

NAMI Maine offers a variety of programs that can help spread mental health awareness, support & hope for youth.

Mental Health Conversations:

Our Mental Health Conversations share basic information on how to recognize an emerging mental health challenge, including strategies to support someone who may be struggling, ways to maintain your own mental health, and resources to connect with for support. This presentation also provides an overview of NAMI Maine’s programming and ways to bring mental health training to your community. This program can be tailored for various audiences (youth, youth-serving adults, community members), provided virtually and in-person, and adapted for various time slots to begin the Mental Health Conversation.

Sources of Strength: 

Sources of Strength is a peer-led program that promotes mental wellbeing by developing strengths and strategies to work through life stressors. This evidence-based, upstream suicide prevention program empowers young people to become leaders in their communities, connect with adult allies, and change the culture around mental health. Youth leaders then engage their peers through projects that incorporate art, storytelling, and outreach and focus on building key resiliency skills. Sources is a 2-day training for adult advisors and peer leaders who then meet monthly to continue to build their community of strength.

Youth Mental Health First Aid: 

Youth Mental Health First Aid is a national best-practice, evidence-based certification course designed to help adults identify, understand, and respond to crisis and non-crisis mental health situations involving youth and teens (age 12-18). The training provides information on common mental health challenges in youth, skills for holding supportive conversations and connecting youth to appropriate professional care, and local and national resources for additional support. We encourage all youth-serving adults — school staff, agency staff, parents/caregivers, volunteers, and community members — to participate and become a well-equipped resource for the young people in your personal and professional lives. Youth Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour course that can be offered virtually and in-person.

Teen Mental Health First Aid:

Teen Mental Health First Aid teaches high school students how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health or substance use challenges among their friends and peers. The training helps students develop the skills to have supportive conversations with their friends and then connect with a trusted adult. The training covers common signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges, impacts of bullying, creating an action plan, and how to seek help from a trusted adult. tMHFA is designed to be delivered to 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th grade students in schools or community centers.