Head In The Game hero imageHead in the Game

Head in the Game

Powered by Z Zurich Foundation 

PROMOTING YOUTH MENTAL WELLBEING IN THE U.S. WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON YOUTH OF COLOR, LGBTQ+ YOUTH & GIRLS

In 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics declared youth mental health a national emergency in the United States. Young people are increasingly struggling with anxiety, depression, stress, panic attacks, self-harm and more with rates even higher for youth of color, LGBTQ+ youth and girls.

Yet, Black and Brown teens often receive only half the mental care of their white peers, and all marginalized groups face limited access to resources. In states with growing communities of color and LGBTQ+ populations, mental wellbeing resources remain inadequate and lag behind the need.

 

Head In The Game logo

 

PREVENTION > PROMOTION > ATTITUDINAL CHANGE

Beyond Sport and the Z Zurich Foundation, in collaboration with Zurich North America, created Head In The Game to address the urgent youth mental wellbeing crisis. The program collaborates with and engages members of the U.S. sports community – local, collegiate and professional – to boost mental wellbeing and normalize discussions about mental health.

Head In The Game is a multi-year initiative designed to improve mental health outcomes for 13- to 19-year-old youth of color, LGBTQ+ youth and girls in the U.S. Our goal is to help mental wellbeing become part of everyday conversations and to close the gap on inequities. The program provides resources to build knowledge and safe spaces for youth to speak freely.

Head In The Game uses a systems-change approach to empower youth and their communities through resources and coaches training, providing knowledge-building opportunities and safe spaces to speak freely.

Head In The Game the problem

THE PROBLEM

In January 2022, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a rare public health advisory calling on the nation to respond to the growing mental health crisis impacting young people, worsened by the COVID pandemic and social justice unrest. Despite this call to action, recent studies show mental health still remains at crisis rates and adequate resources to bridge gaps have not kept up with needs.

  • 1 in 5 U.S. youth have had a serious/debilitating mental illness [CDC].
  • Depression and anxiety are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents. Half of all mental health disorders in adulthood start by age 14, but most cases are undetected and untreated. [WHO, 2023].
  • Historically, children and adolescents who identify as Black, Indigenous and other people of Color (BIPOC) have had inequitable access to mental healthcare. [NIH/NCBI, 2023].
  • 50% of LGBTQ+ youth who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it. [Trevor Project, 2024].
  • 90% of LGBTQ+ young people said their wellbeing was negatively impacted due to recent politics [The Trevor Project, 2024].

HOW IT WORKS

Head In The Game addresses the deep-rooted issues behind the youth mental health crisis, with an eye on lasting solutions. We focus on the most vulnerable groups: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), those who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) and teen girls who often face heightened barriers to access to or face discrimination or stigma for seeking support.

Head In The Game uses a systems-change approach to positively impact hundreds of thousands of youth, with an initial focus on communities in California, Illinois, Minnesota and New York. Though challenges exist for all youth, these states have seen a surge in BIPOC and LGBTQ+ populations in the last decade, but mental health resources haven’t kept up.

For more information on Head In The Game, email [email protected]