In December 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General cautioned of a devastating mental health crisis amongst young people. The figures are so grave, in fact, that medical providers have called it a national emergency, citing “rising levels of mental illness, a severe shortage of therapists and treatment options, and insufficient research to explain the trend” (New York Times). 

Educators have long served on the frontlines of various cultural crises, using their varied toolbox to address and combat the ever-evolving needs of the young people before them. Alas, with the masses facing mounting mental health needs, educators, parents, and policy-makers alike have found themselves in a place of reactivity, scrambling to support young people in the wake of this unprecedented state of emergency.

That’s where Balancing Acts comes in.

Balancing Acts is a proactive approach to addressing the complex and amorphous needs of students coming of age in the twenty-first century. This curriculum has been developed by a team of educators and mental health providers, committed to stemming the flow of mental health challenges being thrust upon young people today. 

Balancing Acts is a developmentally-appropriate and culturally-responsive program geared toward learners in their early to middle adolescence developmental stage. Through engagement with an interdisciplinary coursework, students develop the tools to better understand and manage their mental health needs, as they begin to traverse the landscape of puberty, later adolescence, and the many stressors that arise during this transitional time in a child’s life.

At Balancing Acts, our aim is to emphasize strategies that promote mental health, in an effort to mitigate the mental health crisis.