Good mental health is essential to every child’s development and their ability to flourish in school, homelife, and community systems. The School Based Industry Council helps ensure that our school systems are designed to support students at every stage, promoting well-being and responding to challenges efficiently and holistically.
Under the leadership of The Kennedy Forum Co-Founder Amy L. Kennedy, the School-Based Industry Council sources guidance from top leaders in education, technology, government, nonprofits, advocacy, and other sectors to strengthen school-based and school-connected mental health services.
Why Leaders Must Align on a National Agenda for Youth
Young people are growing up amid a rapidly evolving set of pressures, from social media, AI, online gambling, and substance use to growing disconnection and uncertainty about the future. At the same time, the systems meant to support them remain fragmented by unstable financing, workforce shortages, disconnected care, and uneven access to help.
The United States needs a coordinated national youth mental health agenda that addresses emerging risks, strengthens prevention and early intervention, underscores the needed financing architecture needed, and builds the comprehensive systems of care young people need to thrive.
The Council responds to the changing realities facing young people by providing resources, collective experience, and recommendations to strengthen and advance school-based mental health while expanding to include interconnected hubs for young people, parents, and educators — recognizing that schools cannot carry this responsibility alone.
The Goals of the Council
The Council will bring together leaders across education, health care, technology, prevention, and student wellbeing to:
- Prepare young people to thrive by strengthening prevention, mental health literacy, and resilience;
- Address emerging risks through forward-looking policy and cross-sector collaboration; and
- Build stronger systems around young people so concerns are identified early and the right support is easier to reach.
Download the Latest Report on Sustainable School Services
Read the white paper on the impact, obstacles and solutions to sustainable implementation of school-based mental health services.
How School-Based Mental Health Services Can Support Students and Staff
Watch this panel discussion from the 2023 Alignment for Progress Conference on how the school-based mental health services industry can support students and staff.
Members of the School Based Industry Council
- Jeremy Glauser, eLuma
- Samantha Trotman Burman, Storycatch Partners
- Kari O’Rourke, Brightline
- Susan Norris, Effective School Solutions
- Marlon Morgan & Britney Stone, Wellness Together
- Amy Braun & Karen Johnson, HealthCorps
- Freddie Moss, Darren Blumenthal, & Hannah Webb, Myndstream
- Wendy Ward, futuresTHRIVE
- Laura Bakosh, Inner Explorer
- Bennett Porter, Calm Health
