Meet the Teens Helping Doctors Reshape Youth Suicide Prevention

Eli, a teenager from Washington state, didn’t need to read the mental health handout his pediatrician gave him. He already knew every word. That’s because he had reviewed it for the American Academy of Pediatrics to ensure it truly spoke to young people—all thanks to the AAP donor community.

The generosity of AAP donors helps young people feel heard and helps pediatricians hear them better.

In 2021, gifts helped the AAP create the Blueprint for Youth Suicide Prevention as a roadmap for adults who support young people in crisis. Now, donations to the AAP are connecting this work with even more teens.

Eli is a member of the AAP Suicide Prevention Youth Leadership Group (YLG), which meets monthly with our Healthy Mental Development team to make sure Blueprint resources feel meaningful to their peers. They offer a perspective no adult could: what it’s like to be a teenager in 2026.

The group members are bright, funny, and deeply honest. They review brochures, create videos, write articles for HealthyChildren.org, and have even spoken at the AAP National Conference and Exposition. Their insight helps ensure resources developed by clinicians resonate with actual teens.

“You can say ‘do a deep breathing exercise’ on as many posters as you want, but will a teenager actually have time for that?” said Bronwyn, a YLG member from New Jersey. “There will always be a gap if you’re not including the people who will be using the resource.”

The group’s impact extends beyond the resources it shapes. YLG members also relish the opportunity to speak openly about mental health. “People put a mask up most of the time,” said Taanvi, a high school student from Washington state. “I’m grateful for time that we don’t have to mask our feelings.”

Everything we do at the American Academy of Pediatrics benefits children. Our members nurture them, strengthen the systems that serve them, and act as their voice. But there are times when youth are their own best spokespeople. That’s when adults must listen and learn.

Because of AAP supporters, young people are finding both a voice and a place to belong—and feeling heard, valued, and empowered.