After School Matters®, Chicago’s largest and a leading national provider of after-school and summer programs, welcomed U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy to its Gately Park programming facility on Chicago’s South Side on December 7 to hear from Chicago teens about the state of youth mental health locally. Dr. Murthy spent the afternoon leading two listening sessions – one with 14 Chicago teens to hear about their experiences, challenges and what is bringing them hope and another with After School Matters program instructors and clinicians from Adler University’s Chicago Campus to learn about their approaches to supporting youth mental health today. Dr. Murthy also visited with teens participating in a visual arts program, where youth were working on artwork inspired by their mental health journey and social justice, and with a culinary arts program.

Last year, Dr. Murthy released a Surgeon General Advisory on the youth mental health crisis affecting children and adolescents nationwide. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, it was clear it had serious implications for the mental health and wellbeing of millions of young Americans. Adolescents and teens faced new challenges, including social isolation, financial hardship, and food insecurity. These challenges prompted Dr. Murthy to issue the advisory, calling for a swift and comprehensive response to the youth mental health crisis. As a result of the pandemic, After School Matters adapted its program structure to provide teens with hundreds of safe, remote opportunities for engagement. Seeing and hearing the challenges teens and their families were facing, the organization also expanded its supports to, for the first time, provide free meals, technology for remote programs, and importantly, it partnered with Adler University to provide free mental health supports for teens and instructors. Nearly 1,000 Chicago teens and 200 ASM instructors have participated in these programs so far. For more information, visit www.afterschoolmatters.org.

Photo Credit: After School Matters