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As a new school year begins, many students — especially students of color, LGBTQ youth, and children in immigrant and mixed-status families — are carrying more than just the weight of academic expectations. They are navigating a world that feels increasingly unsafe, where political threats, discrimination and immigration enforcement have become part of their daily lives.

These realities compound the mental health challenges already intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. For many students, the fear of separation, the pressure to stay invisible and the stress of seeing loved ones targeted by inhumane immigration enforcement is deeply personal and destabilizing. 

There are real steps we can take to support the well-being of students. That includes protecting school areas from immigration enforcement, ensuring students know their rights and building systems of care that recognize the unique needs of these families.

But there’s another element we should be thinking about: our school-based mental health infrastructures. These spaces can be better equipped to support students in times of crisis, especially those disproportionately impacted by fear, racism and systemic injustice. 

This moment demands that we listen to students, not just because they are the most affected, but because they are already leading the way by helping to design and taking part in peer-support programs at their schools.  

At eight high schools across California, students are stepping into leadership roles as part of the Peer-to-Peer Youth Mental Health High School Pilot Program,  launched by The Children’s Partnership in conjunction with the California Department of Health Care Services. The program was born from the vision of TCP’s youth-led policy council, the Hope, Healing and Health Collective, which called for culturally responsive, student-led mental health support on campus. 

Young people are redefining what it means to support one another. At Serrano High School in Phelan north of San Bernardino, for example, peer leaders run a daily wellness center where they organize lunchtime wellness activities, host restorative circles and mentor English learner students, including those new to the U.S. To better serve their peers, several students proposed stationing themselves at the wellness center during an elective period so they could provide in-the-moment support to other students during the school day.  

At Sierra High School in San Bernardino, wellness ambassadors known as the “Sunshine Crew” have organized a Substance Abuse Prevention Fair that led to the identification and implementation of support-based alternatives to suspension, school policy changes and increased engagement among students. Since its inception more than three years ago, the Sunshine Crew has expanded into a structured, student-led wellness program with about 40 active members advancing mental health awareness, harm reduction education and public service initiatives.

This fall, the group is also launching a peer counseling program to complement its work. Across the pilot demonstration last year, 936 students statewide used peer support services,  underscoring the reach and impact of student-led mental health initiatives.

As one student put it, “This program is student-led, and it gave me the confidence to speak up, to lead and to support others.” Another reflected, “I didn’t think I’d graduate. Now, I lead school tours and tell my story to others.” 

This shift in school culture is the result of students driving change and institutions stepping back to make room. It happens when students are trusted, resourced and heard. And while programs like this are powerful, young people have made it clear: They need more. 

They want inclusive mental health education in classrooms. They want wellness centers that stay open beyond crisis moments. They want adults — educators, policymakers and community leaders — to treat mental health as a basic necessity, not a luxury. 

Now more than ever, in a climate where fear is being weaponized against vulnerable communities, we must commit to making schools places of healing, not more harm. That means investing in school-based mental health supports, expanding peer-to-peer programs, and ensuring that every student — regardless of immigration status, race or ZIP code — can access the tools they need to care for themselves and each other. 

We cannot separate mental health from the social and political realities young people are living through. And we cannot claim to support youth if we ignore the systems that harm them. When we center students — especially those from immigrant, low-income and LGBTQ communities — in designing and leading mental health strategies, we build schools that are not just supportive but transformative. 

Students have shown extraordinary resilience in the face of chaos. Their strength in navigating fear and instability is powerful, but it should not be the only tool they have. Resilience alone is not a solution; it’s a starting point. The youth are already doing the work. It’s time we meet them with the urgency, resources and respect they deserve.