LETTERS TO STRANGERS

Description

Letters to Strangers (L2S) is a global youth-for-youth mental health nonprofit seeking to destigmatize mental illness and increase access to affordable, quality treatment for 13- to 24-year-olds. We operate through three main pathways: 1) Therapy-informed anonymous letter-writing exchanges, where Chapters on school campuses and in local communities meet to discuss their letters afterward in a trained-peer environment. Chapters often collaborate with Partner Sites, which are organizations in the local area that serve underprivileged youth, such as orphanages and pediatric hospitals. 2) Science-based peer education curricula, which includes our recently-published comprehensive, 80000-word youth-for-youth mental health guidebook ( https://www.letterstostrangers.org/product-page/youth-for-youth-mental-health-guidebook) - the first of its kind. Our in-depth intersectional training and certification program complements these resources. 3) Grassroots policy-driven advocacy, spearheaded by Chapters forming student task forces that speak to school administrators and local lawmakers to push for mental health services and awareness.

L2S was founded by Diana Chao at age 14 after bipolar disorder nearly ended her life. Today, it is the largest global youth-for-youth mental health nonprofit, impacting over 35,000 people in over a dozen countries on six continents.