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2024-2025 impact report
teens leading the way for youth mental health
teens leading the way for youth mental health
In this difficult and unpredictable year, our community has truly wrapped its arms around us. Despite the financial uncertainty, we’ve stayed resilient. I’m so proud of where we are, and so deeply grateful to all of you for enabling our impact.
Looking back at the 2024-2025 school year, the effectiveness and scalability of our OMM club model is more clear than ever, thanks to the support of people like you. In a time when teens face high anxiety and uncertainty, our model has ensured we can keep showing up and moving our mission forward—to a day when no teen dies by suicide.
Despite all of the uncertainty today—and knowing that more budget challenges are coming—I am deeply heartened by how mental health champions like you are maintaining focus, sharing, and investing in the proven interventions that can measurably effect change.
Your generosity and strength gives me so much hope. Young people today will build the society of tomorrow, and so the investments you’re helping us make in young people’s resilience and coping skills are the foundation of our future.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being part of this community!
Lauren Anderson
Chief Executive Officer & Founder
—High school club member“omm has brought me out of a dark place and has brought me joy knowing that i’m not alone and that there are brighter days ahead.”
in high schools, middle schools, and teen centers
directly participated in clubs
over the 2023-24 school year
took on leadership roles
during and after school hours
for school-wide kindness & care
through campaigns led by teens themselves
we assess our impact on participating teens according to 4 evidence-based “protective factors.”
these 4 factors have been shown to reduce suicide risk and promote overall mental well-being.
of participants report feeling socially connected
report practicing self-care and healthy habits
report confidence in supporting peers struggling with mental health
report willingness to seek help
This provides evidence that OMM is helping to break down stigma and create more spaces for dialogue around mental health.
Our data shows OMM’s inclusive design works. LGBTQ+ and BIPOC students report similar levels of social connectedness within their clubs as their straight and non-BIPOC peers do. Combined with qualitative feedback, these findings indicate clubs serve as safe, affirming spaces where LGBTQ+ and BIPOC students feel a strong sense of belonging.
—High school club member“omm has really positively impacted our school’s mental health culture because it has opened up a safe space for students.”
Demographics data sources: Race/Ethnicity, District partner data and NCS; Grade level, club sign-in form; Sexual orientation, 2024-2025 exit poll (note that data for sexual orientation is only available for high school students); Gender, 2024-2025 High school, middle school, and teen center exit polls.
We have close partnerships with four large public school districts in the Washington, DC area. Working hand-in-hand with district leadership helps us reach a critical mass of teens in the region while coordinating with many available services, a holistic—and effective—approach.
leadership & advocacy
In February, five student leaders from DC-based Our Minds Matter clubs testified at the Council of the District of Columbia’s 2025 Budget Oversight. They shared their personal experiences with mental health to deliver powerful statements advocating for continued funding to ensure that all students have access to quality mental health resources.
movement & well-being
Every spring, Knights Minds Matter at Ballou High School hosts a school-wide walk to promote taking care of your physical and mental health. This year’s event featured hot dogs & slushies, a live DJ and support from 93.9 WKYS! These kinds of school-wide campaigns reach exponential numbers of teens.
peer-to-peer influence
When our partners in FCPS asked for our help, we created a stigma-reducing, harm-reduction initiative called “Be for Real.” We packaged campaign kits and educational materials for every high school and middle school in the county.
Black Youth Minds Matter
This spring, we were recognized during Montgomery Blair High School’s Black Mental Health and Wellness Fair. All our district partners ask us several times a year for support and participation in fairs, events, and roundtables like this, opening opportunities to share with the broader community—which is a testament to how highly our resources are valued.
leadership development
At Montgomery County’s Robert Frost Middle School, the OMM club sponsor asked alumni who had graduated on to high school to come back for a visit—and continue their mental health advocacy by supporting the future of the club.
growth & expansion
Last year, we launched a new expansion of our program to all of the public charter high schools in Washington, DC. In the first six months, we launched clubs in 8 schools, and are continuing to grow in the coming year. This success shows how we can effectively and rapidly launch the OMM program in a new school system—the key to our future growth and scale.
—High school club member“omm has taught me that i am not alone in my advocacy for mental health awareness.”
As a member of the Mental Health Coalition, OMM was proud this year to elevate our Teen Advisory Council to support the new Safe Online Standards for Kids’ Mental Health (SOS) initiative. Teens are participating with national experts in meaningful ways, making the SOS outreach engaging and teen-friendly.
President of her club at School Without Walls in DC and member of our Teen Advisory Council, Jasmin this year won Mental Health America’s Youth Policy Advocacy Award, recognizing her unwavering commitment to health advocacy for all.
This prestigious national certification for Workplace Mental Health recognizes employers who go above and beyond to prioritize mental well-being in the workplace—and we’re proud to be among them.
Since 2021, our partnership has offered a dedicated 24/7 text support line for OMM clubs to share with their peers. Through deepened engagement this year, we’ve shared customized social media and promotion assets for our “MIND” keyword and are sharing learnings and mental health need trends in the region.
—Middle school club member“i liked meeting with others who were dealing with the same things as me. it made me feel like i wasn’t alone.”
* Note: Due to GAAP accounting rules, revenue numbers may vary slightly from the totals in our 990 tax return.
Every donation makes a difference, and we are deeply grateful to all of our donors. Due to space constraints, we are only able to acknowledge $500+ donations made during our FY25 fiscal year (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025). If you notice an error in our reporting, please reach out to [email protected].
