The Shine Initiative aims to address issues surrounding youth mental health by partnering with schools and youth organizations to provide engaging, approachable, and supportive educational programs. We work to address a dire need, as “approximately 60% of youth with severe mental disorders received no or inadequate care, and suicide was the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-19." Our team at Shine pride themselves on the fact that we are not therapists- we are just regular people who know how to talk about mental health, and who want to share the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to address mental health anywhere- including with the youth who are the most desperately affected. We work directly with the people we serve to provide a variety of innovative services that not only address issues around mental health in the short term, but provide youth with the skills needed to reduce stigma and promote open and honest discussion surrounding mental health.