INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Saturday is World Teen Mental Wellness Day, established by the surgeon general following the mental health crisis for teens that reached its peak during a pandemic.

The day is meant to spotlight the resources available to help manage and overcome these challenges.

Locally, the Carmel Youth Assistance Program (CYAP) is an organization based in Carmel, that’s committed to offering support to families and youth facing challenging life scenarios.

Kristi Howard-Shultz with Indianapolis Moms says CYAP couldn’t exist without community members who support it.

“We always need tutors. We always need mentors. We do have an upcoming event that we would love for people to learn more about our organization,” Howard-Shultz said.

CYAP serves as an early intervention advocate. It works with school social workers, the prosecutor’s office, and community health providers to empower teens and families. It also works directly with teens and caretakers to provide mentors and tutors. They also provide transportation assistance and other resources to eliminate as many barriers as possible that families might have to get what they need.

Some of the programs that CYAP offers to help families include comprehensive case management, tutoring, mentoring, and many others. “Your school social worker, they can help you, you can self-refer to programs like this and then they can connect you from there,” Howard-Shultz said.

Those who don’t need the resources can donate or volunteer with the Carmel Youth Assistance Program (CYAP). Click here for more information.