Based on feedback from hundreds of people throughout the region, our team at the Sacramento Region Community Foundation committed to advancing health equity within the capital area through community-centered, coalition-driven efforts. The early impact of these initiatives is both clear and encouraging.
One powerful example of this work is the Culture Is Mental Health Project, launched in 2023 to address the unique mental health needs of local youth. We introduced this program at a time when young people nationwide faced a mental health crisis, exacerbated by deeply ingrained stigmas and a critical shortage of behavioral health professionals. Amid these challenges, our project’s focus on culturally relevant mental health support proved invaluable.
A recent report from Northeastern University, which studied the project, confirms its effectiveness: The Culture Is Mental Health Project’s culturally responsive, community-based strategies have fostered resilience, improved mental well-being, and created a buffer against adverse childhood experiences.
Through partnerships with ACE Resource Network and eight local nonprofits, the project’s influence extends beyond individual support for area youth to strengthen families, schools, and entire communities, the report notes. Whether through mural projects that connect history with creative expression or storytelling initiatives that amplify youth voices, each program offered young people opportunities to reimagine their stories and their futures.
The project’s success lies in its support for community health workers at local nonprofits who reflect the culture, language, and lived experiences of the young people they worked with. In all, 13 community health workers bolstered protective factors that safeguard youth from trauma, stress, and societal pressures.
To put it more simply: Consider a young person who has experienced domestic violence. Their participation in a Culture Is Mental Health Project-funded activity with a supportive community health worker allowed them to develop a new narrative — one where they feel safe, seen, and celebrated. This illustrates the transformative power of healing interventions.
Equally remarkable is the role of partnerships in this work. Collaboration between local youth, community health workers, funders and philanthropists, community members, and researchers underscores the collective energy required to create meaningful change.
Supporting the mental wellness of young people in the Sacramento region is more than an investment in their well-being; it’s an investment in the future of our community. By prioritizing their needs today, we cultivate a brighter, more resilient, and compassionate future for generations to come.
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