Youth First Student Assistance Program
2023-24 Academic Year
"Over a third of Indiana students in 7th-12th grades report feeling sad or hopeless for two or more weeks in a row. "
– Prevention Insights, Indiana Youth Survey
When young people struggle with their mental health, it can lead to decreased school engagement, poor decision-making, substance misuse, thoughts of suicide, and other high-risk behaviors. Youth First, Inc. partners with over 115 schools across 14 Indiana counties to strengthen the mental health and well-being of young people through proven prevention practices.
Youth First’s Student Assistance Program embeds highly trained mental health professionals and bilingual support staff in school buildings, right down the hall, where they are easily accessed by thousands of young people, parents, and teachers. The services and programs offered by Youth First are free-of-charge. Youth First’s team builds caring relationships, boosts resiliency and coping skills, and connects families to valuable community resources. As a result, students become more engaged in school, more committed to pursuing their goals and dreams, and ultimately, more likely to become healthy, thriving adults.
This report summarizes the measurable impact of Youth First’s Student Assistance Program in 2023-24.
Youth First Student Assistance Strategies
4,208
18,668
14,931
89 Mental Health Professionals
3 Support Services Staff
115 K-12 Schools
52,387
Students with Access
22,764
Students in Educational Presentations
685
Teachers in Professional Development
818
Students in Group Sessions
49,653
6,197
Students Receiving Individual Services
Through 50,418 Individual or Family Sessions
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Source of Referral
Student Assessments Conducted
439 1,538
Strengthened Protective Factors
Statistically Significant Improvements from Baseline to 3 Months
Resiliency
Coping Skills
Reduced Individual Concerns
Students and parents reported significant improvements in protective factors.
Teachers, parents, and students reported significant reduction in the intensity of concerns.
Examples of Individual Concerns Increased School Adjustment
• Physically hurts others • Poor social behavior • Hides inner thoughts • Easily loses temper Examples of Problematic Behaviors • Children’s Hope
• Teachers: grades, attendance, poor decision making, disengagement, conduct issues
• Parents: poor decision making, depression, defiance, anger, family conflict
• Students: negative self-image, anxiety, depression, anger, academic performance
Teachers reported significant improvements in school adjustment for students.
Peer relationships Examples of Adjustment Behaviors Decreased Problematic Behaviors
School attendance
Homework completion
Classroom participation
Teachers reported significant decreases in problematic behaviors in elementary students.
• Quits tasks without finishing • Poor attention span
Positive Academic Progress for 2023-24 Caseload Students
