Oakland, CA, Dec. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The day following the 2024 presidential election, LGBTQ+ crisis organization The Trevor Project reported a 700% increase in emergency calls, texts, and chats. In this increasingly divisive and hostile climate, identity-affirming mental health education, support and programming are essential.
Youth from marginalized communities are often denied access to the health education and resources they need, leading to worsened individual and community health outcomes. This endangers young people and threatens their futures, families and communities. As a solution, Peer Health Exchange and its Youth Design Group (YDG), a cohort of young collaborators, aged 13–18, co-created the web-based platform, selfsea.org in 2021. The selfsea platform is a free, inclusive and supportive safe digital space featuring information, videos, and resources tailored to support and protect the wellbeing and mental health of all young people.
The selfsea resource library contains topics including identity, mental health, sexual health, and substance use and more. It also hosts a video library of young people sharing their lived experiences, lessons learned and offering support. Youth can customize their experience on the selfsea library and filter through categories like location, race, content warnings, and sexual or gender identities. Dr. Angela Diaz, an expert in adolescent health and the Director of the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, shared about the platform, “Selfsea is inclusive. Whether you are LGBTQ+, BIPOC, an immigrant, or whoever you are, there is no judgment, simply a lot of understanding and support.” In a time when many online platforms are filled with questionable content, selfsea.org stands out as it aims to build self-esteem and empower young people to make healthy decisions. High school senior Julia Weisman says, “Through selfsea, I can access resources to help deal with difficult emotions.”
The aftermath of the election left many young people feeling helpless and anxious about their future. Peer Health Exchange CEO, Dr. Angela Glymph, says, “Now more than ever, we must invest in youth health education to create a world where every young person has full access to a happy, healthy life.” Peer Health Exchange is committed to providing equitable resources and support to help youth navigate these challenging times, and calls on individuals, organizations, and policymakers to prioritize and support youth health.
About Peer Health Exchange
Peer Health Exchange’s (PHE) mission is to build healthier communities with young people. Together, we create education opportunities for peers to share the tools and resources young people need to make healthy decisions. With our partners, we advance health equity and improve health outcomes for young people in under-resourced communities. For safe, relatable, inclusive, and engaging content on mental health, relationships, identity, and sexual health, follow Peer Health Exchange on Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram, and X.
About selfsea
selfsea, powered by Peer Health Exchange and co-designed with young people, reaches over 600,000 young people with safe, inclusive, evidence-based, and identity-affirming health resources and information. It’s a platform where young people can see themselves reflected in content that prioritizes their identities and experiences about mental health, sexual health, and beyond.