During Suicide Prevention Month, we are highlighting two young North Carolina changemakers who are helping shape the future of how YMCAs address youth mental health through Y-USA’s Teen Mental Health Fellowship. This 18-month initiative empowers teens to create youth-led, youth-informed solutions that promote emotional well-being resilience and community support through local YMCAs.
“Mental health isn’t just one thing. It’s like there’s a spider web with mental health at the center of it. It goes into so many aspects of who you are; it affects our emotional state of being and your physical state of being,” said Ayden Forstner, a rising 11th grader from the Currituck Family YMCA in Eastern North Carolina and a new student at the NC School of Science and Mathematics this fall. “And those things have their own threads in the web. It’s all about who we are and what we put out in the world.”
Ayden shared that he applied for the Fellowship because of the impact the Y has on his life, giving him confidence and opening doors for him.
Livie Apple, a rising senior at UNC-Charlotte and longtime youth program staffer at the Gaston County Family YMCA, plans to be a middle school math teacher. Her lived experience and her career goals motivated her to apply for this. “My younger sister and several siblings with special needs have faced mental health struggles, that’s one piece that drew me into wanting to be a fellow,” Livie said. “ Plus, I want to learn as much as I can now to be able to support students when I’m teaching. Middle school is when a lot of mental health issue start to emerge, and I wanted to learn as much as I can before going into the classroom so I can support them.”
The Teen Mental Health Fellows came together in person for the first time in June 2025 as part of Y-USA’s Changemakers conference. “The purpose of this trip was innovation and finding inspiration for solutions we can put into place through our program,” Ayden said. Both Ayden and Livie agreed it was a great collaborative atmosphere and process and are excited for the next phases.
Through their lived experiences, leadership and passion for mental health advocacy, Ayden and Livie are already making an impact—not only in their communities, but across the national YMCA movement.
Y-USA shared this video about the Teen Mental Health Fellowship coming together in June.
(September 2025)