MHFA1 - Nothing About Youth Without Youth: Turning MHFA Into Community Action Through Youth Voice

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is most powerful when it moves beyond awareness and becomes action that is trusted, culturally responsive, and locally owned. This townhall style panel is designed specifically for MHFA instructors seeking practical, sustainable ways to deepen community impact—by centering youth voice as a core implementation strategy, not a supplemental one. Youth and teen members from Big Brothers Big Sisters Colorado will serve as primary contributors, offering direct insight into what mental health support actually looks and feels like from their perspective. Their voices will ground the conversation in real-world contexts—schools, mentoring relationships, peer spaces, and families—helping instructors refine how MHFA skills are taught, modeled, and reinforced in their communities.

National experts in advocacy and wellness and lived experience bring complementary expertise that translates youth insight into scalable practice:

Carrie King (Big Brothers Big Sisters) connects mentoring infrastructure to MHFA pathways and community partnerships.

Brandon “Soul Cole” Cole, founder of Soul Impact Foundation, explores healing-centered, culturally grounded approaches that build trust and reduce stigma at the community level.

Matthew Triplet, coach and mental health advocate, shares field-tested strategies for recognizing warning signs and responding effectively in high pressure youth environments.

Emma White, suicide attempt survivor and founder of Life Is Worth It, brings lived experience to clarify what supportive intervention—and harmful silence—look like in real time.