USA - Empowering young people to support young people, Maryland launches its Youth Mental Health Corps

USA - Empowering young people to support young people, Maryland launches its Youth Mental Health Corps. The Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation has introduced the Youth Mental Health Corps (YMHC), a statewide initiative that mobilizes trained young adults (ages 18–29) to provide near-peer mental health support in schools and community organizations. These Corps members act as experience experts - people whose shared age, background, and lived experience allow them to connect with students on a level of trust that traditional services often can’t reach. They’re trained to promote well-being, build supportive relationships, and guide peers toward help when needed, while gaining credentials that prepare them for future roles in behavioral health. As Maryland faces rising youth mental health needs and a shortage of professionals, the Youth Mental Health Corps bridges this gap by placing empathy, connection, and lived expertise at the heart of support. In its first year, 36 members are now active across 10 host sites and two AmeriCorps programs statewide, building a generation of community-rooted, recovery-minded professionals.