Be There Louisville Promotes Youth Mental Health Support

On World Mental Health Day, the Humana Foundation joins Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and local university and sports team partners to call on youth ages 13-24 to “Be There” for their peers by earning a certificate in mental health support. Mayor Greenberg declared the week of October 9 ‘Be There Louisville Week,’ affirming his commitment to address the mental health crisis in the city and encouraging local youth to gain the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to connect their loved ones to the help they deserve.

Youth can visit BeThereLouisville.org to take the free, 2-hour, self-paced course created by Jack.org and the Born This Way Foundation, which teaches participants to safely support loved ones struggling with their mental health. Youth learn the Five Golden Rules to “be there:” Say What You See, Show You Care, Hear Them Out, Know Your Role and Connect to Help. Beyond promoting the certificate, the Humana Foundation will partner with National Alliance of Mental Illness Louisville and local youth leaders to establish the first-ever U.S. chapter of Jack.org.

"Jack.org created the Be There Certificate in partnership with Born This Way Foundation to equip young people and the adults in their lives to recognize the signs of mental health struggle and safely offer support to others,” said Shane Green, VP, Programs, Jack.org. We’re proud to partner with the Humana Foundation to share the Be There Certificate with Louisvillians so that people across the region and beyond can access this important resource and help support the people they care about."

Local partners helping to promote this potentially lifesaving effort include:    

• Bellarmine University – Promoting Be There Louisville among students and faculty
• Louisville Bats – Leveraging its players and mascot to amplify the initiative on social media
• Louisville City FC / Racing Louisville FC – Lending athlete endorsements and offering a free game ticket to youth who earn a Be There Certificate 
• University of Louisville – Amplifying the initiative through university and athletic channels, and student-athlete leaders

“This initiative to empower youth in Louisville to revolutionize mental health is part of the $1 million commitment we made following the traumatic events in April,” said Tiffany Benjamin, CEO of the Humana Foundation. “We continue to spearhead efforts with local partners to heal our community and address our mental health crisis, in this case training the next generation to be a part of the solution.” 

The post-pandemic mental health crisis across the nation is dire, with nearly 23% of American adults experiencing mental illness and one in five young adults experiencing depression. In Kentucky, more than 35% of adolescents who have depression did not receive mental health care in the last year, and a shortage of mental health providers is particularly acute in Jefferson County. Increasing access to mental health treatment is a top priority for the Humana Foundation. But community members can contribute by learning to recognize when treatment is needed and connect their loved ones to the help they deserve.

"Each of us can play a role in promoting mental health throughout the community, especially with our youth and young adults," said Mayor Greenberg. "I commend the Humana Foundation and other partners for leading this effort to raise awareness and train local youth to provide more mental health support for their peers. There is no doubt these efforts will save lives."  

In addition to rallying youth and business leaders in response to Louisville’s mental health crisis, the Humana Foundation’s $1 million commitment to bolster mental health resources also includes support for victims and families of April’s mass shooting through the Community Foundation of Louisville.