Michigan State University, in collaboration with residents of Flint, Michigan, is spearheading an innovative, community-driven initiative to strengthen the mental health of adolescents in Genesee County.

Crystal Cederna, a pediatric psychologist and associate professor at the College of Human Medicine Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, is partnering with the Flint community to find solutions to the local mental health crisis. This initiative, entitled Project THRIVE, will be funded by a two-year $250,000 grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.

In response to the high rates of adolescent depression and anxiety, as well as the social and environmental factors affecting mental health, this project will develop, implement, and evaluate a culturally responsive and community-informed intervention.

"After serving over 4,000 families, one thing has become abundantly clear – our mental health care system needs reform," said Cederna. "Services are hard to access, delivered too late, and not always effective. Mental health services need to be delivered in the right place, at the right time, in a way that's aligned with what kids and families need."

The project aims to achieve both immediate and long-term impacts by:

• Improving teen mental health and well-being
• Expanding access to and removing barriers to high-quality mental health services, empowering community partners
• Establishing a culturally responsive, evidence-based approach to address adolescent anxiety and depression
• Integrating essential mental health care into the community

A Community-Driven Approach
Flint youth continue to be affected by the ongoing impacts of the Flint Water Crisis, the isolation brought on by community violence, the COVID-19 pandemic, a lack of job opportunities, and not enough safe, supportive community spaces. These challenges are interconnected; they compound and heavily burden young people's mental health. Youth have expressed their pain, frustration, and desire for healing. They seek more than just survival—they want to thrive.

To create a sustainable model for ongoing, community-based mental health support, the team, including many community members, will co-construct the program and its evaluation approach while training residents who are non-mental health professionals in the community-owned Project THRIVE program. Project THRIVE will include partners from Michigan State University, Church Without Walls, local health care providers, community mental health representatives, local youth, and parents/caregivers.

The project will be held at the Church Without Walls, a well-known gathering place for teens and families. The intervention will be customized to meet the unique needs of Flint's youth while also addressing changeable health-related social issues linked to mental health. By training trusted leaders from the church, we aim to provide immediate mental health support to Flint's youth and sustain it long-term.

"Adolescents in Genesee County need this, and our church provides a safe and trusted space from which to provide it," said Martez Warren, senior pastor at church Without Walls Ministries.

"As someone who has lived in Flint and worked closely with our youth, I have witnessed firsthand how profoundly mental health impacts all aspects of their lives — from school performance to family dynamics and even their sense of identity," said Shaquandra Hamilton-Robinson, community engagement and implementation coordinator at the MSU Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health.

A comprehensive program evaluation will be conducted to assess outcomes, helping us refine and scale the program for future implementation with other teens in other settings.

October 22, 2025