Letters to Strangers (L2S) is the world’s largest grassroots youth-for-youth mental 50% of all lifetime cases of mental health nonprofit, seeking to destigmatize mental illness and increase access to illness begin by age 14. 75% by age 24. affordable, quality treatment particularly for those aged 13 to 24. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in the world for young people 1
10% or less of those with depression
Letter-Writing
Writing is humanity distilled into ink. We want the human connection to foster empathy, one letter at a time. Our campus and local Chapters exchange letters anonymously with each other and community partners. The public uses our free custom online platfom. Overall, we exchange 20000+ letters a year. 2
Suicide rates have increased by over
60% in the past 45 years—and it’s still going.
Peer Education
We create science-informed, culture-aware workshops and curricula. Our world’s first youth-for-youth mental health guidebook is an illustrated 80,000-word deep-dive & is complemented by our Teachers’ Handbook curriculum guide. 3
receive effective treatment in most countries
Grassroots Policy-Based Advocacy
We foster reform from the ground up with student task forces focusing on community-based demands that emphasize diversity and needs. Examples include our pioneering 24/7 pan-African toll-free mental health hotline at 9898.
At 13-years-old, Diana Chao learned that she had bipolar disorder. After surviving a series of suicide attempts, Diana began writing letters to strangers. Those letters paved her healing journey, and for once, she could believe she wasn’t alone. In late 2013, Diana established the first Chapter of Letters to Strangers in her Southern Californian high school as a sophomore. The rest is herstory.
We support 35,000+ people in over 20 countries on six continents worldwide every year. Highlights of our network include: the first student mental health task force at Rutgers University Honors College (NJ, USA); the first mental health professional ever brought to speak at the Karachi high school Chapter (Pakistan); the first peer mental health resource center in Zimbabwe; a short film series created with the Screen Actors Guild of New York. We have been recognized by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mental Health America, Active Minds, Oprah Magazine, L’Oréal Paris, Vice, Viacom, Yahoo, The Washington Post, the Shawn Mendes Foundation, Google, Facebook, Born This Way Foundation, the Smithsonian Institute, YouTube, Unilever, and more.
www.LetterstoStrangers.org hi@LetterstoStrangers.org 2115 Aviation Dr. Upland, CA, USA 91786
501 (c)(3) Tax-Exempt Number: 83-0837546
@L2SMentalHealth