Nonprofit Spotlight: The AAKOMA Project

Giving

In October 2021, PennyLoafer donors collectively gave to the AAKOMA Project!

The Rundown

• Years founded: 1999

• Leadership: Founder, Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, is a nationally-recognized psychologist and clinical researcher with 20+ years studying mental health services and youth mental health disparities.

• Issue they address: Depression, suicide and mental health needs of teens and young adults of color.

• What they do: Develop and implement culturally-relevant, patient-centered research and clinical care.

• How they do it:

• Community-based participatory research: engaging and centering youth, families, and communities of color to influence more inclusive mental health interventions and practices.

• Free virtual therapy sessions for teens and young adults.

• Awareness: work with teens of color and their families to raise mental health awareness and share research findings.

Why they were chosen

AAKOMA is a research-driven organization. Dr. Alfiee is regularly sought after for her expertise on mental health disparities and AAKOMA has received national attention for its work. Her research combines lived experience with data to better support and inform patients, providers, and the public on inclusive practices.

• For more, read about their latest extension to help guide their program.

Learning

🚩 As if we needed more red flags, three large child advocacy orgs recently declared a national emergency in children’s mental health, citing covid-19’s impact on an already widespread issue, and called on policymakers to act. Consider the following:

• In 2020, there was a 30% increase in emergency room visits for mental health reasons for youth ages 12-17, and 24% increase for youth ages 5-11.
• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in in youth ages 10-24.
• The suicide death rate of Black youth is increasing faster than any other racial/ethnic group. And Black adolescents are much less likely to receive care for depression. (Reasons to support organizations like AAKOMA.)

📋 The white house (on the same day) released a fact sheet on actions they’re taking to improve access and care to youth mental health and substance use.

💫 To end on a positive note, (1) macro: you’re taking a concerted effort to help the mental health crisis; (2) micro: reframing negative self talk can go a long way. Keep doing you!

If you enjoyed this and want to get involved, you can support the Mental Health cause on PennyLoafer, starting with as little as $5/month. Each month, you’ll support and learn about a different nonprofit working to make the world a healthier place.