Rural Youth Mental Wellness Program

This free hub offers practical resources, ways to support a friend who's struggling, and real talk on the issues affecting young people today. Shaped by teens and young adults across rural America, the program brings together tools you can use right away.

WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM:

About the Program

This free program was developed to support teens and young adults living in rural communities.

  • Grounded in real stories and lived experience

  • Centered on rural-specific mental health challenges

  • Designed for young people, parents, and caring adults

  • Focused on reducing stigma and increasing access

Resources by Topic

Find free, downloadable guides, real-life stories, social media posts, and tip sheets designed to be shared, saved, and used in real life – by topic below:

Project yes!

Project Y.E.S. (Youth Empowerment & Support) is a free, virtual program where teens and young adults can build skills to handle stress, tough thoughts, and everyday challenges. Offered by Rural Minds with researchers at Northwestern University's Lab for Scalable Mental Health, it's a series of short online activities you can do on your own schedule.

Each takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Pick the topics that feel most helpful, from stress and anxiety to low mood, confidence, and handling difficult thoughts. The tools are private and self-guided, with no account to create and no personal information to share. Not long-term therapy, but grounded in research and useful right away.

Note: Clicking the link below will take you from the Rural Minds website to Project YES, an external platform developed by the Lab for Scalable Mental Health in partnership with Koko. Project YES includes embedded safety protocols; additional information is available in the platform's FAQ section.

Try Project YES!

Caring for Rural Youth – A Guide for Adults Who Support Them

You play a powerful role in the mental health of rural youth. We’re here to equip you with free resources, conversation starters, and tools to support the young people in your life.

Check out our toolkit

Follow Rural Minds on social media for real talk, practical tips, and voices from rural youth across the country.

Share the message. Start the conversation. Be the difference.

FOLLOW ALONG!

SHARE YOUR VOICE

SHARE YOUR VOICE

Want to Share Your Story, Suggest a Resource, or Help Shape This Program?

This program is built around real experiences from rural teens, young adults, and the adults who support them. Whether you have a story to tell, a resource to recommend, or ideas for what we should tackle next - we'd love to hear from you at adriel@ruralminds.org