Sep 17 Convening for Change at the Southwest Pennsylvania Youth Mental Health Summit

(September 17, 2026)

On July 28, more than 100 educators, mental health professionals, researchers, policymakers, advocates, and community leaders came together at the University of Pittsburgh’s William Pitt Union for the Southwest Pennsylvania Youth Mental Health Summit.

The Summit was the first of four regional gatherings taking place across Pennsylvania as part of a statewide effort to better understand the current youth mental health landscape, identify gaps and barriers, and work together toward stronger, more proactive systems of support for children and youth.

The regional Summit was part of a broader statewide effort led by the Pennsylvania Alliance for Social, Emotional & Mental Wellbeing (PA4SEMW), the statewide convener, with the Center for Schools and Communities serving as the statewide sponsor.

In Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Summit was hosted by the University of Pittsburgh’s University Center for Social & Urban Research (UCSUR) and the Fred Rogers Institute at Saint Vincent College, with support from regional co-hosts including Allegheny County Department of Children’s Initiatives, Allies for Children, the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania, and United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania. This incredible group of partners came together around a shared goal: creating stronger systems and supports for the social, emotional, and mental well-being of children and youth. Participants talked openly about the gaps and barriers young people and families face, the challenges providers and schools are experiencing, the resources that already exist, and what we need to do differently moving forward. State Representative Aerion Abney, who spoke at the Summit, reminded us, “A lot of the answers are in this room.”

I was one of the facilitators at the summit, and one of the things that stood out to me was just how much work is already happening across our region to support the mental health and wellbeing of young people. There are so many people and organizations doing this work, but we need to do a better job of connecting those efforts, identifying where the gaps are, and making it easier for young people and families to find the support they need. We need to break down the silos and all work together.

We also need to think about mental health differently. It can’t just be about what happens when a young person reaches a crisis. Although a crisis response system is necessary, more emphasis needs to be placed on prevention, early intervention, social-emotional wellbeing, family support, and behavioral health services.

And we have to remember that young people don’t exist in isolation. A recurring message throughout the Summit was that when adults aren’t well, children aren’t well. Supporting educators, caregivers, families, and other adults is an important part of creating environments where young people can thrive.

As Dr. Ross Whiting, president of PA4SEMW, shared, the goal was not simply to have another conversation about youth mental health. The goal was to listen, learn, and act.

The Southwest Pennsylvania Summit was one part of a larger statewide effort. Information gathered in Pittsburgh, along with findings from the other regional summits, will help inform regional and statewide reports and recommendations for improving youth mental health systems across Pennsylvania.

I’d like to give a special thank you to Dr. Shannon Wanless from the University of Pittsburgh Center for Social & Urban Research and Dr. Annie White from the Fred Rogers Institute for bringing people together and creating space for this important conversation.

To continue the conversation, there will be a statewide summit in Harrisburg in late fall 2026, where there will be an opportunity to bring these conversations together and continue thinking about what comes next. In the meantime, locally, Allies for Children is continuing these conversations with many of our partners, including those who participated in the summit, on how we can put some of this information into action.

Heather Wilkes, Allies for Children Policy Director