Civic Engagement as a Pathway to Youth Well-Being

Civic engagement offers young people more than a platform for advocacy; it provides a powerful pathway for understanding how policies, budgets, and systems shape access to mental health supports, substance use education, and social-emotional learning.

This session explores youth civic engagement as a prevention strategy that builds agency, critical awareness, and connection — helping young people see mental health and well-being not only as personal challenges, but as public policy issues shaped by collective decisions. Participants will examine how engaging youth as advocates and changemakers strengthens their interest in prevention topics, including suicide prevention, substance use prevention, and peer support, while also amplifying youth voices in spaces where decisions are made.

Prevention leaders will leave with practical approaches to support youth civic engagement in ways that are developmentally appropriate, sustainable, and rooted in well-being — equipping young people to navigate systems of power, advocate for resources, and contribute to healthier communities.