Angelica Rodriguez, a peer and family advocate with the MoneyGAD project, and a team of Big Bear high school students presented results of a community needs assessment and urged the Big Bear Valley Unified School District board to expand youth input and support local resources for mental health and safe activities.

The students said the ACT (All Children Thrive) project collected 540 survey responses and that roughly 230 came from middle- and high-school students. "About 1 in 3 youth reported prolonged sadness or hopelessness lasting two weeks or more in the past year," the presentation said. The students reported other findings including that 68 percent of youth said they know where to get help and that "1 in 5 youth do not know where to turn for mental health support." The presenters asked for board support to "continue to welcome youth input at board meetings," for dedicated resources for safe, inclusive youth spaces and for the creation of a youth council.

Why it matters: the student presenters linked adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to longer-term health and social outcomes and said rural youth face greater barriers to services. They described a statewide advocacy trip to Sacramento where students met legislators and saw examples of cities that include youth on formal policy councils. The students said those models demonstrated that youth participation can shape local policies on parks, housing and mental health.

Board members responded with offers to meet the students and to continue the relationship. One board member told the presenters, "Did anybody ask the students?" to emphasize that district decision-making can benefit from direct student input; another said he and a colleague would visit the school to speak with a subset of students about continuing the work. The presenters said the current ACT grant covers three years and that they expect the local cohort to remain engaged through graduation; they also said they had been told of a potential additional three-year grant decision expected in December.

Details from the presentation: the ACT team described training and partnership with UCLA’s Center for Health and Children, Families, and Communities and public health advocates to coach youth in advocacy and data collection. The students reported that 6 high-school juniors recently traveled to Sacramento for advocacy meetings, and that the local needs assessment found mental-health stress, limited safe activities, absenteeism linked to fatigue and motivation, and that roughly 70 percent of BDHS and BDMS students report difficulty staying focused in class. The group also raised concerns that fee increases at a local recreation facility (the Pack) could restrict access for students.

Board direction and next steps: board members asked staff and students to continue meetings and suggested scheduling regular check-ins so the work remains active beyond the current grant period. One board member said the district would work with advisers to plan how to continue the effort "with or without the grant," and another volunteer parent offered to help identify funding paths.

The students closed by asking the board to support youth representation in district decision-making and to consider city- or district-level policy steps to create a sustainable youth council and dedicated youth resources.