Over the past 20 years, Minnesota has made big strides in building a system of mental healthcare for its schools – today, 61% of Minnesota schools and 82% of districts offer access to free or reduced-cost support. But to shrink the remaining gap, schools have turned to their communities, partnering with local nonprofits and programs, the MinnPost reports.

Among them are Know the Truth, a drug prevention program that sends young people in recovery into Minnesota schools to share their experiences with teens, and Restoration for All, which provides guidance for immigrant and refugee students whose needs may not be well-understood by school staff. Together, these programs add layers of care for many students whose needs would otherwise go overlooked.

Tiffany White, a peer specialist with Know the Truth, shares her story to let teens know that stumbling into addiction isn’t a risk just in high school. She stayed away from substances in school, but started drinking by 21, when she could legally buy alcohol. Within a few years, she’d become dependent. “I started to get some real-life consequences,” White said. “I spiraled into depression…I got to a place where I didn’t care if I lived or died.” Eventually, she developed alcohol-induced seizures and hallucinations. “I thought, if I’m not going to drink myself to death, I’m going to go to treatment.’” 

Now, White spends her days sharing her story with no filter, hoping to reach youth facing similar struggles. Many respond with stories about themselves or family members, which she listens to with compassion before offering information about harm reduction and even her phone number so students can reach out to her if they need more help – or if federal cuts mean they lose her support through the school. It’s helping them, but it has also changed her life. “This is what it’s like to work out your purpose,” White said. 

Restoration for All fills another critical gap. Founded and led by Nigerian immigrant Tolulope Ola, the nonprofit serves immigrant and refugee youth who are often misunderstood in schools because of their cultural backgrounds and past traumas – including from life in refugee camps. School staff sometimes misinterpret their attempts to cope, leading to misdiagnoses or missed support, Ola said. She now trains educators to ask, “What happened to you?” instead of “What’s wrong with you?” “These children have lived through so much,” she said. “The body holds the score.” 

To address rising rates of youth suicide among African immigrants, Restoration for All  provides mental health screening, individual therapy and more. “We also do African mind-body practices to get them grounded,” Ola said. Sometimes they respond more to therapy when it is grounded in their cultural practices.” 

Talking about mental health openly is a departure from what older generations were taught, said Ruth Ezeagwula, the group’s suicide prevention coordinator. “Mental health wasn’t a thing that was talked about among the older immigrant and refugee population,” she said. “It was mostly just, ‘Suck it up.’” It can be tough, she concluded, to bridge the gap between home and school attitudes towards mental health. But, as White put it, candor and a “genuine approach” can build trust, and go a long way.