This webinar will detail the journey stakeholders in Shelby County, Tennessee took to listen to youth and community regarding their barriers accessing mental health services. Panelist will detail how they went from listening to responding to those needs by creating Youth Connect. Youth Connect is an initiative to increase access to culturally responsive mental health services for youth with critical mental health needs. Panelists will discuss the process of engaging community, advocacy, obtaining funding, and navigating governmental processes and collaboration. Panelist will offer practical advice, lessons learned, and strategies for successful collaboration in order to increase access to youth mental health services and increase capacity of local providers.

• Kache Brooks, Youth Mental Health Coordinator, Shelby County Youth & Family Center
• Amy Kalb, Executive Director, Shelby County Youth & Family Resource Center
• Dana Wilson, CEO/President, BRIDGES
• Cathy Emerson, Co-founder & Co-Executive Director, The Braid Foundation
• Shaneika Smith, Co-founder & Co-Executive Director, The Braid Foundation

• Community Engagement - Discover practices for community involvement, from identifying barriers and community needs to developing a response mental health needs to the full implementation of programs.
• Real World Insights- Gain insights into the process of launching an initiative that increases access to youth mental health services from identifying community needs, advocating, and building conceptual framework, to execution.
• Collaborative Strategies - Explore strategies for effective collaboration among various stakeholders.
• Lessons Learned - Benefit from practical advice and insights drawn from the experiences of experts who have successfully launched a youth mental health initiative.
• Inclusive Programming - Learn how to develop initiatives that include youth voices and cater to urban youth's diverse needs.