Portland Youth in a Mental Health Crisis: Great Life Mentoring Has an Answer
For many of us, the teenage years can be difficult, but add in food insecurity, an unstable home life, substance abuse, homelessness, and/or financial troubles, and you have a recipe for mental health issues.
According to the 2023 Oregon Health Authority’s Ombuds Program report, 25% of youth ages 12-17 in the Portland area experienced a “major depressive episode” in 2022.
Oregon kids need help, but according to Mental Health America’s 2023 report, the state of Oregon ranks 50th in youth access to mental healthcare. “Kids are falling through some of the worst gaps in Oregon’s mental health care system,” shared Oregon Public Broadcasting. “Those gaps were created in the past 20 years, in part, by the state’s efforts to save money.” May is Mental Health Month, and Great Life Mentoring invites you to learn about and donate to their free program for youth from low-resource families receiving mental health treatment.
Mental Health Affects More Than You Think
Mental health is critical to success. Youth with poor mental health are more likely to drop out of school, lose out on future employment opportunities, have lower earning potential, and even have poor physical health. For example, depression can cause chronic physical pain, gastrointestinal issues, fatigue, sleep disorders, and appetite issues, among other symptoms, according to Dr. Madhukar H. Trivedi, (“The Link Between Depression and Physical Symptoms”). And depression is just one of the mental health issues that 25% of Portland-area youth may be dealing with.
Great Life Mentoring Offers Portland-Area Youth Free Mental Health Support
Great Life Mentoring (GLM) is a nonprofit organization that offers free mentoring for youth ages 9-16 from low-resource families suffering from mental health issues. GLM has been operating in Southwest Washington since 2000, and with positive, evidence-based results, it expanded to the Portland, Oregon area in 2024. GLM now serves youth in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties.
“Our mentoring program achieved status as a mental health intervention on the Washington State Inventory of Evidence-Based Practices and a national designation and evidence rating of Effective (the highest possible rating) by the US Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs in the criminal and juvenile justice and criminal victimization fields,” shares Elizabeth Higley, Founder and Executive Director of Great Life Mentoring.
An evidence-based practice can produce dramatic outcomes for mentored youth. The first large-scale research study on high-risk youth in mentoring (Herrera et al 2013) reports that mentored high-risk youth had improved emotional/psychological well-being, peer relationships, academic attitudes, and self-reported grades. Further, findings indicated mentoring reduced symptoms of depression and increased the overall number of outcome areas in which youth exhibited meaningful improvements.
“One of GLM’s current case studies highlights a minority youth who went from only attending school occasionally (online) and at risk of not graduating to attending in person full time, being on track to graduate on time, and holding a position in student government,” says Elizabeth. “This change happened over 18 months of being matched with their Great Life mentor.”
The evidence is clear: GLM makes a difference. We just need your help to continue growing the program to reach even more youth. Over 15,000 youth live in poverty in the Portland area, and they are three times more likely to need mental healthcare. During Mental Health Month, we ask you to support our work with a one-time or monthly donation. Together, we can give local youth a brighter and healthier future!
“Every day in a hundred small ways, our children ask, ‘Do you see me? Do you hear me? Do I matter?’ Their behavior often reflects our response,” L.R. Knost.
Donate during Mental Health Month in May to create a brighter future for Portland-area youth.
