This World Mental Health Day, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the work Camp Fire is doing to support the mental, emotional, and social well-being of young people. Through purposeful and innovative partnerships with organizations like the Alliance for Camp Health, the JED Foundation, and America’s Promise Alliance, our goal is to raise the standard for youth care across the nation.

Kids today are juggling school, social media, climate concerns, bullying, and feelings of loneliness. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6–17 experience a mental health disorder each year—a reminder of just how serious and widespread these challenges are. See where your state falls in the data (Mental Health America). We've also gathered more statistics like this on our Youth in Crisis page to help paint a clearer picture of what young people are up against.

At Camp Fire, we know that helping young people thrive isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about building a culture where every young person feels safe, seen, heard, and valued. This is why we’re continuing to grow partnerships and deepen our work to better support youth in the ways they need most.

That’s where our partnership with the Alliance for Camp Health (ACH) comes in. Last fall, we joined with them to pilot a suite of Mental, Emotional, and Social Health (MESH) services and supports, including CampWell and the MyView Digital Empathy™ Screening Tool. Both of these tools have proven impactful in raising the level of care provided to campers and creating a culture of well-being for all—campers and staff alike.

Already, eight Camp Fire camps piloted MyView over the past two two summers, and many of our staff have completed CampWell training.

We’re proud that Camp Fire Central Oregon, Camp Fire First Texas, Camp Fire Samish have earned the MESH (+) Best-In-Class Seal. This recognition reflects a commitment to integrating mental, emotional, and social health practices into every aspect of camp, from program design to staff training and care measures.

As part of our ongoing commitment to youth mental health, Camp Fire was recently selected to participate in the Institute for Youth Mental Health (IYMH), a collaboration of the JED Foundation and America’s Promise Alliance. Over an 18-month commitment, IYMH will help organizations like ours build the capacity needed to support young people’s mental well-being for the long haul.

The program focuses on three key goals:

· Strengthening organizations to spot, respond to, and refer youth for support while planning for sustainable crisis management.

· Expanding access to mental health resources through a shared training model for national nonprofits.

· Using data to gain insights and advocate for stronger youth mental health support nationwide.

Through this partnership, we’re not only enhancing Camp Fire’s ability to care for every child—we’re contributing to a larger movement to ensure youth-serving organizations nationwide have the resources, training, and strategies to help young people thrive.

At Camp Fire, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to have positive childhood experiences—experiences that help them develop resilience, connection, and a sense of belonging. Through MESH (+), CampWell, MyView, and our partnerships with ACH, the JED Foundation, and APA, we’re creating environments where young people can not only survive, but thrive.

As we honor World Mental Health Day on Friday, Oct. 10, we recommit to supporting the whole child: mind, body, and spirit. By investing in our staff, programs, and partnerships, we’re leading the charge in youth mental health and setting the standard for out-of-school time programming nationwide.

Because at Camp Fire, when youth are supported and connected, they can do anything. Learn more, watching this video: We All Have Mental Health (Subtitled)