In May 2025, over 300 partners from across Greater Cincinnati gathered to celebrate youth voice, progress, and shared vision at the HEY! Regional Convening and Fellows Showcase. This event marked a powerful checkpoint in our collective journey to transform mental health outcomes for young people across our region. We honored the leadership of our Youth Fellows, spotlighted the work of cross-sector working groups, and welcomed new leadership to help sustain our momentum.

Together, we looked back on how far we’ve come—from collaborative planning to implementation—and recommitted to building a system that centers youth experiences. The convening also highlighted key updates from our 10-year strategic roadmap, including new priorities, data collection innovations, and regional strategies in schools, communities, and clinical care.

The HEY! Fellowship continues to lead the movement. With two cohorts of 25 youth selected from more than 300 applicants, these young leaders co-designed and shaped the HEY! strategy at every level. Their vision—“Nothing About Us Without Us”—was front and center throughout the convening, from data co-design to public engagement campaigns and information gathering via a regional mental health survey targeting youth voices.

Youth Fellows Calls To Action

• We need more people of color in the working groups
• We need more people from Kentucky in the working groups.
• We need more LGBTQ+ people in the working groups.
• We need more people with lived experience navigating the behavioral and legal systems in the working groups.

We need you to help us take a step forward by inviting those people from your community to join this work directly.