Communities for Youth empowers Idaho communities by connecting parents, schools, and kids with the capacity to recognize and address youth mental health so that all may thrive. The City of Boise Mayor’s office, in partnership with St. Luke’s Community Health & Engagement, is calling all partners, parents, families, business leaders, youth, and other community members to join us in working to build the best possible community for our kids. Data collected in November 2022 revealed that roughly ~33% of teens living in Boise are struggling with depression, which is higher than the national average. The two main drivers of depression and suicidal ideation in Boise youth are high levels of stress and experiencing high levels of social isolation. Join them in building community and decreasing stress and social isolation for our kids!

@communitiesforyouth

Founded in 2008, Boise Rock School is an independent, nonprofit arts education organization. Boise Rock School includes after-school programs with ongoing enrollment, summer camps, and an outreach program for numerous Idaho cities. They focus on creativity through songwriting, recording, skills learning, and performance — all in a group setting. Boise Rock School is so much more than just a place where students learn to play their instruments. They teach their students how to play songs (cover tunes of their choice in all genres and originally penned compositions), how to record those songs, how to perform those songs at a gig, and how to use those songs as an inspirational and exciting tool to contribute to our community. You can find the Boise Rock School crew at Kidfort and supporting the Treefort Youth Engagement team.

@boiserockschool

Since the phone lines started ringing in November 2012, Idaho Crisis & Suicide Hotline (ICSH) has been a critical lifeline for Idahoans in crisis and an entry point into our state’s behavioral health care system. Whether a person is experiencing suicidal thoughts, mental health challenges, or calling on behalf of a loved one, a trained crisis responder is always ready to listen, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year. Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline provides 24/7 free and confidential support. They are committed to ensuring that those they serve are heard and empowered with options to stay safe while supporting their emotional well-being. Through listening, they empower Idahoans with options and resources while inspiring hope and human connection. Crisis and suicide prevention support is available to you or a loved one. 

Help is Waiting. Call or Text – 988

@icshotline

The Speedy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization named after 3-time Olympian, Jeret “Speedy” Peterson of Boise, ID and Park City, UT, someone near and dear to us who we lost to suicide. Speedy was a champion for mental health, sharing his own struggles openly in a time before it was socially acceptable to do. The Speedy Foundation’s mission is to prevent suicide, support mental health education, and promote conversations to end the stigma surrounding mental illness. They believe that through education and awareness we can help individuals, organizations, and communities end mental health stigma, spark meaningful conversations, and create suicide prevention champions out of EVERYONE.

@thespeedyfoundation

City of Good is building a sustainable food system by supporting local farmers, restaurants, and neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Founded in 2020 as schools and restaurants were closing, City of Good united local restaurants and growers to provide fresh, nutritious meals to food insecure children in the Boise School District, all while paying living wages to farmers and culinary workers. Since March of 2020, City of Good has distributed over 90,000 nutritious, restaurant-made meals to children, refugees, seniors, and others lacking access to the food they need. They’ve also distributed more than 20 tons of local produce and over $33,000 worth of culturally-appropriate shelf stable goods to school pantries and early learning centers for kids to take home.

@citiesofgood

Boise Hive’s mission is to prevent suicide in the music community by empowering musicians and artists of all ages through access to support and resources for mental and emotional well-being. They offer free counseling, education, referrals, and other mental health services to musicians in need. They provide an all ages, drug and alcohol-free community space for music rehearsal, educational programs and events. This resource is especially important to teenagers and young adult musicians in development, mixing music with a healthy lifestyle. Collaboration, communication and leadership skills are nurtured through living in music. Outside of nonprofit row, look for Boise Hive’s Mindful Melodies at Kidfort this year.

@boisehive

The International Rescue Committee provides opportunities for refugees, asylees, victims of human trafficking, survivors of torture, and immigrants seeking citizenship to thrive in America. Each year, thousands of people, forced to flee violence and persecution, are welcomed by the people of the United States into the safety and freedom of America. These individuals have survived against incredible odds. The IRC works with government bodies, civil society actors, and local volunteers to help them translate their past experiences into assets that are valuable to their new communities. In Boise and other offices across the country, the IRC helps them to rebuild their lives.

@IRCboise

The Idaho Office for Refugees is the designated organization to oversee refugee resettlement in the state of Idaho, in partnership with resettlement agencies. IOR is creating welcoming communities that thrive together. They create connections and offer programs such as Global Talent, Global Gardens, the English Language Center and the Refugee Speakers Bureau that promote well-being for New Americans and surrounding communities. Look out for more information about Global Gardens during Storyfort and Filmfort.

@idahorefugees

The Wassmuth Center envisions an inclusive society where Idahoans take responsibility for promoting and protecting human rights; where everyone is valued and treated with equal dignity and respect; and where everyone’s human rights are a lived reality. The Center’s mission is to “promote respect for human dignity and diversity through education and to foster individual responsibility to work for peace and justice.” As an education center, their goal is to empower others to be upstanders in the classroom, community and country.

@wassmuthcenter

Camp Rainbow Gold is a nonprofit organization serving Idaho children diagnosed with cancer and their families. What started in the mid-’80s as a week of camp for a handful of children diagnosed with cancer is now much, much more. Yes, Camp Rainbow Gold is still a summer oncology camp. But it’s also a sibling camp and a family camp. It’s a college scholarship program and a teen support group. It’s 365 days of making a difference in the lives of children, their families, and others who support them.

@camprainbowgold

Children’s Home Society is a community of knowledgeable and compassionate professionals who believe that all children deserve to receive the best in mental/behavioral health care. They are leaders in providing accessible, affordable, and comprehensive mental health care. They prioritize mental health in the same way as physical health and promote wellness for all children and their families. Providing mental health care services is a large part of what they do. However, they strive to educate and bring awareness to our community on the importance of mental health. They work to reduce the stigma surrounding discussing mental health and help prevent feelings of shame, embarrassment, and loneliness. Reducing stigma helps children and family members access our resources, programs, and services, here at the Children’s Home Society.

@chsidaho

BABE VOTE‘s mission is to encourage and help young and underrepresented people register and vote. BABE VOTE students take an active role in their governance by registering young voters, testifying before legislative committees, training to become poll workers, knocking doors to get out the vote, collecting signatures for citizen ballot initiatives, and challenging voter suppression laws in court. By registering and organizing record numbers of students and young people in our communities, they believe we can take back our democracy and build a more just and equitable society.

@babevote

The compact of the Upper Snake River Tribes will work to ensure the protection, enhancement, and restoration of natural and cultural resources, activities, and rights of the Compacting Tribes that are reserved by Treaties and Executive Orders, protected by federal laws and agreements, or are the subject of aboriginal claims asserted by the Tribes. They are working to restore the Snake River Basin to a natural condition and facilitate tribal unity to protect and nurture all Compacting tribes rights, languages, cultures, and traditions.

@upper_snake_river_tribes

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) advocates for evidence-based public policies to reduce the cancer burden for everyone. They engage volunteers across the country to make their voices heard by policymakers at every level of government. They believe everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.

@acscanidaho

Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) was created in 2014 as the political advocacy arm of Save the Children, to be the political voice for kids. They work across the United States to ensure that the issues critical to children’s lives and futures are given top priority by our elected leaders, building bipartisan support to make sure every child has a strong start in life.

@thefuturetomorrow