Mental Health Advocacy Institute
A leadership opportunity for college students who are passionate about mental health advocacy on their campus.
Are you a college student who wants to make a difference on your campus?
Through the Active Minds’ Mental Health Advocacy Institute, you can develop and activate tailored mental health advocacy action plans to be implemented on your college campus.
This paid, year-long leadership and advocacy institute provides participants with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to lead impactful mental health advocacy actions in collaboration with a campus-based steering committee. Participants will craft their action plans during the Fall semester, then implement them during the Spring semester.
“Being part of this experience reminded me that, even as students, our voices matter and our ideas can spark real change…This experience has affirmed my commitment to mental health equity, and I will carry the lessons and inspiration from this journey with me always…”
Institute Participant
Apply to the Institute
Applications for the 2026-2027 Mental Health Advocacy Institute are open April 21st through May 26th, 2026.
Every applicant is required to have a staff or faculty member from their institution fill out a recommendation form, which you will receive at the bottom of the application. These forms are due from recommenders by June 1st, 2026.
Eligibility Requirements
- Between 18-25 years of age
- Currently enrolled at a U.S. college or university and located within the United States
- Graduating no sooner than May 2027
- Not studying abroad from September – December 2026 or from February – April 2027
- Have been enrolled at their current institution for at least one full academic year
Institute Members will Receive
- $1,000 total stipend (paid in two installments of $500, contingent upon attendance, milestone completion, and approval by Active Minds Staff).
- Professional training and technical support from Active Minds Staff, along with nationally renowned mental health experts.
- Networking and collaboration opportunities with other young adult mental health advocates.
- Unparalleled opportunity to gain real-world policy advocacy knowledge to make a difference on your campus.
2026-2027 Institute Schedule
Program Timeline: August 26th, 2026- April 30th, 2027.
Required Fall Training Sessions
All participants must attend four virtual training sessions:
- Wednesday, August 26th, 2026: Program Introduction
- Wednesday, September 16th, 2026: Choosing Your Steering Committee and Writing an Issue Statement
- Wednesday, October 14th, 2026: Choosing Your Strategy
- Wednesday, November 11th, 2026: Creating a Timeline, Budget, and Logic Map
Required Spring Check-In Sessions
Because we understand you may not know your Spring 2027 schedule, we provide two meeting options per month. But you must attend one to remain in the program.
- Wednesday, February 3rd or Friday, February 5th, 2027
- Wednesday, March 3rd or Friday, March 5th, 2027
- Wednesday, April 7th or Friday, April 9th, 2027
Institute FAQs
Current U.S.. college students who have an interest in mental health advocacy and are eager to become changemakers on their campuses.
The institute will take place virtually via Zoom and Google Classroom.
The curriculum will include tools and resources to help you create a mental health advocacy action plan that addresses a mental health issue on your campus. You will have the opportunity to build your foundational knowledge of mental health advocacy which includes understanding mental health advocacy, education, awareness, policy, and equity. You will learn from people making changes across the country, campus mental health leaders, and other student leaders who have been successful mental health champions leading mental health change in their schools.
Students have implemented a variety of evidence-based strategies on their campuses for their Mental Health Advocacy Institute projects. Including but not limited to:
- Publishing mental health information/resources on learning management systems (Canvas, Google Classroom, etc.) and student portals.
- Putting 988 and campus crisis phone numbers on both physical and mobile student IDs.
- Getting mental health information and sessions implemented into New Student, Transfer and International Student Orientation.
- Starting mental health peer support and peer mentor groups.
- Publishing mental health information and resources on course syllabi.
- Creating campus mental health resource webpages.
- Starting mental health co-peer response programs.
- Implementing mental health screenings on campus.
- Creating mental-health promoting physical spaces on campus (i.e. Zen Dens and Relaxation Rooms).
- Starting an Active Minds Chapter on campus.
- Implementing campus-wide mental health surveys and assessments.
- Co-creating new mental health and wellness workshops and curriculum with campus mental health and wellness staff.
- Establishing partnerships and contracts with outsourced mental health service and resource providers.
Yes! The Mental Health Advocacy Institute is designed for students to apply as individuals. However, participants will be tasked with recruiting and leading a steering committee on their own campus to help them plan and implement their project, and the steering committee must be made of both students and faculty/staff.
The Mental Health Advocacy Institute is a selective opportunity for individual college students to deepen their mental health advocacy skills and implement an advocacy action plan focused on one specific mental health challenge your campus is facing. While participants may be involved in an Active Minds Chapter, participation in a Chapter is not required. Unlike Active Minds Chapters, which are ongoing student-led campus organizations, the Mental Health Advocacy Institute focuses on equipping individuals with the tools, mentorship, and structure through virtual workshops to complete a specific advocacy action plan over one academic year.
To be successful in the Institute, it is imperative that participants have relationships with staff, faculty and other student leaders on campus and know how the different systems on campus operate. Learning these systems and establishing these relationships takes at least a year for most students. Therefore, we require at least one year on your current campus to be eligible for the Institute. If you are a first year student on your campus (including first year graduate and transfer students), we encourage you to take a year to learn about your campus and establish relationships and apply for the Institute the following year.