State, Community And National Leaders Gathered In Albany For Summit On Comprehensive Solutions To Youth Mental Health Challenge

Coalition to Empower our Future Convened Voices Across Advocacy, Community Nonprofits, Youth, Clinicians and Government to Share Solutions for Youth Wellbeing

For Immediate Release
November 19, 2025
Contact: [email protected]

Albany, N.Y. — Coalition to Empower our Future (CEF), a growing partnership focused on understanding the many contributing factors surrounding youth mental health and wellbeing, convened a summit in Albany to discuss the need for comprehensive solutions to address the youth mental health challenge. The half-day event, titled The Future in Focus: A Comprehensive Approach to Youth Mental Health, was hosted in partnership with City & State New York and drew more than 100 attendees.

“While the state of youth mental health is sobering, the insights shared in Albany reveal an incredible appetite and energy for reaching comprehensive solutions. The people who spoke are tackling youth mental health from so many different angles  – from coaches and clinicians to government services administrators and mental health advocates,” said Glen Weiner, executive director of Coalition to Empower our Future. “Improving youth mental health is a challenge that everyone wants to solve and it’s inspiring to hear from so many groups here in  New York and across America that are working toward solutions.”

The event opened with a fireside chat featuring CEF Board Member January Contreras, who served as the assistant secretary of the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and CEF Advisor Dr. Caroline Carney, a board-certified internist and psychiatrist. It was moderated by City & State New York Editor-in-Chief Ralph Ortega.

“So many of us don’t realize the depths of despair that some kids are living in in communities across the country,” said Dr. Caroline Carney, board-certified internist and psychiatrist and advisor to Coalition to Empower our Future. “So, when we find those circumstances, it’s not just medication, it’s not just psychotherapy, it’s really working to find in the community the right kinds of support that those kids uniquely need.”

“When we are convening, when we are having these conversations, we need all these incredible leaders,” said January Contreras, Coalition to Empower our Future board member and former assistant secretary for Administration for Children and Families at  HHS. “We need parents, we need the young people themselves. And we need healthcare providers, clinicians, and educators. It takes all of us.”

The roundtable that followed, moderated by City & State New York Editor Peter Sterne, featured a broad range of local and national perspectives. The lively discussion highlighted the importance of addressing the full range of issues contributing to the state of youth mental health and forging solutions that reflect that complexity.

Speakers included a mix of national and local organizations, nonprofits, mental health professionals, government representatives, and other community leaders.

  • January Contreras, board member, Coalition to Empower our Future
  • Dr. Caroline Carney, board certified internist and psychiatrist, advisor, Coalition to Empower our Future 
  • Glen Weiner, executive director, Coalition to Empower our Future
  • Anisha Bhatnagar, council member, Coalition for Student Wellbeing 
  • Jamie del Rosario, recovery services coordinator, Division of Addiction Treatment and Recovery Services, New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports
  • Charlie Gross, co-founder, Sounds of Saving 
  • Melanie Hecker, youth and young adult advocacy specialist, New York State Office of Mental Health
  • Shayna Persaud, New York City chapter lead, Young People in Recovery
  • Allie Riley, chief program officer, Girls on the Run
  • Aubrey Robinson, education coordinator, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of New York City

Research conducted by CEF found that in New York most voters and parents agree that every young person’s mental health experience looks different and recognizing that, and the complexity of youth mental health, is part of the solution. Nearly 80 percent of voters and parents believe a comprehensive approach to this challenge is necessary.

This event is the latest in a series of state-based events hosted by CEF in communities across the country. The goal is to engage and listen to a range of perspectives to better understand the many dimensions of youth mental health and to identify tools, resources, and actionable solutions for parents, communities, and kids.

To learn more about CEF’s work focusing on solutions to the youth mental health challenge, click here.

About Coalition to Empower our Future  

Coalition to Empower our Future is a newly formed organization bringing together a range of voices to fully inform solutions that empower youth, parents, communities and society. The Coalition to Empower our Future supports solutions that are inclusive of the full spectrum of factors impacting youth mental health. Former Montana Governor Steve Bullock, former assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Family Services at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services January Contreras, and former U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo serve on the board of directors of the Coalition to Empower our Future. Dr. Caroline Carney, a board-certified psychiatrist and internist, is a health executive and clinician who serves as an expert advisor to the coalition.

To learn more, visit empowerourfuturecoalition.com or follow Coalition to Empower our Future on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.

About City & State NY   

City & State NY is the premier multimedia news organization dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy. 

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