Stanford
CIRCLE

Y-CARE

a flyer advertising roles as co-designers of a youth-led support program for young people experiencing climate anxiety/distress.

CIRCLE at Stanford Psychiatry is excited to announce our newest project: Y-CARE (Youth Co-Designing Adaptations for Resilience and Empowerment) in the Climate Crisis. 

Y-CARE aims to work with youth from across the United States, Canada, and Australia to co-design and test a youth-led support program for 16-25 year olds who are experiencing climate distress or anxiety. 

As part of this project, we are currently enrolling climate-concerned youth aged 16-25 who are affiliated with one of our partner organizations: allcove in California,  Foundry BC in British Columbia, as well as Headspace and Orygen in Australia. 

Over the course of 20 weeks, the climate-concerned youth who are selected for this project will meet weekly for 1.5 hours, along with our project leaders, to:

  • Learn more about climate change and its impact on youth mental health;
  • Share their own experiences dealing with climate change and mental health; and 
  • Brainstorm, develop, and implement strategies for a youth-led support program that can be used to help other young people who are living with climate distress.  

This project will give participating youth co-designers the opportunity to meet and build relationships with other climate-concerned youth from across the US, Canada, and Australia. Youth who participate in this project will be our collaborators. They will be paid for their contributions and will be given the opportunity to participate in any future work that emerges from this project, such as trained facilitation work, speaking engagements or co-authoring publications. 

No prior experience developing peer support programs or working in mental health or climate advocacy is necessary.  We will provide all the information and resources needed. Participants just need to be willing to be present, work collaboratively with others, and share their ideas and experiences! 

You would be a great fit for this program if you: 

  • Are between the ages of 16-25
  • Are already affiliated with one of our partner organizations (allcove, Foundry BC, Headspace or Orygen). Your affiliation is flexible and could include being a service user, an employee, a volunteer, a patient, a client, or a collaborator of either network.
  • Are concerned about the mental health impacts of climate change
  • Are energized by the idea of finding solutions to alleviate climate anxiety
  • Enjoy working in groups
  • Feel comfortable sharing your ideas and experiences with others
  • Are open to new ideas and different points of view, even ones that you may not personally agree with 
  • Can commit to attending 80% of the weekly meetings (see scheduling notes below).
  • Have consistent access to a computer that can join Zoom video calls 
  • Want to make a difference in the lives of other young people who may be experiencing concerns, anxiety, or distress related to climate change. 

For youth co-designers in the US and Canada 

Weekly meetings will occur virtually via Zoom on Tuesdays from 4:00-5:30 pm Pacific Time starting in early March and running through late June 2025. Individuals who are selected will be expected to commit to attending at least 80% of the meetings (16 out of 20). There will not be any assigned homework or tasks outside of the weekly meetings. 

If you are in Canada or the US and are interested in applying for this program, please complete this application form: https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bmc5nJh1DYzfFKS. 

For youth co-designers in Australia

Weekly meetings will occur virtually via Zoom and will be scheduled soon by our Australian partners (Headspace and Orygen), with a targeted schedule that spans March through June 2025. You can reach out to caroline.gao@orygen.org.au or jana.menssink@orygen.org.au with any scheduling questions.  Individuals who are selected will be expected to commit to attending at least 80% of the meetings (16 out of 20). There will not be any assigned homework or tasks outside of the weekly meetings. 

If you are in Australia and are interested in applying for this program, please complete this form:  https://q.surveys.unimelb.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_ah5on7eCjKEqV3E

For all applicants

The application form is very brief and should only take 1-2 minutes to complete. As part of the application, you will be asked to select a time slot for a 20-minute phone interview with a member of our team that will take place before the end of January 2025. Phone interviews will allow us to learn more about you and why you are interested in this project. You do not need to do anything to prepare for the interview. 

We will let all applicants know shortly after the interview whether they have been selected as a member of the co-design team. 

If you have any questions about Y-CARE or would like to learn more before applying, please contact our research coordinator Katie Ryan at kryan2@stanford.edu or 650-723-6180. 

If you are interested in applying for this program, please complete our application form that is appropriate to where you are located. 

CANADA or the UNITED STATES: https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bmc5nJh1DYzfFKS. 

AUSTRALIA: https://q.surveys.unimelb.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_ah5on7eCjKEqV3E

This work is generously supported by the RN Ho Foundation