Reflections on youth mental health, the importance of belonging, and how organizations like CYT National help create opportunities for the next generation to find their voices.
By Hilda H. McClure, MA, LPC
Founder & CEO, The Candela Collective
Sometimes, the Most Important Thing We Can Do Is Listen
I have spent much of my career thinking about what it means to create spaces where people feel seen, heard, and supported. Not just in a counseling office, but in classrooms, community organizations, workplaces, and the places where people are trying to figure out who they are and where they belong.
One thing I continue to come back to is this:
We cannot truly support the next generation if we are unwilling to listen to them.
In 2022, I had the opportunity to participate in a recorded conversation titled Serving Our Youth: Gen Z, alongside Shari Wjota.
The conversation offered an opportunity to reflect on something that remains deeply important to me: how we show up for young people, particularly those navigating a world that often expects them to be resilient without always giving them the support, safety, and resources that resilience requires.
When we talk about Generation Z, we are talking about real people.
Young people with stories, questions, strengths, fears, cultural identities, and experiences that deserve to be understood.
And I believe one of our greatest responsibilities as adults, educators, therapists, and community leaders is to make sure they know they do not have to navigate those experiences alone.
Understanding Generation Z Means Understanding Their World
Every generation encounters its own challenges, but today's young adults have experienced a unique combination of social, technological, cultural, and economic changes.
Many have grown up with social media as a constant presence. They have witnessed public conversations about racial injustice, mental health, identity, and inequality unfold in real time. They have experienced educational disruption, uncertainty, and shifting expectations about what their futures should look like.
Yet we sometimes approach conversations about Gen Z by focusing on what we think they lack.
We describe them as too sensitive, too dependent on technology, or unwilling to tolerate discomfort.
I think we need to ask better questions.
What are young people responding to? What experiences have shaped the way they understand safety, success, identity, and belonging? What are they asking us to recognize that previous generations may have learned to keep quiet?
As a therapist, I know that behavior rarely tells the whole story.
What we see on the surface can be connected to experiences of uncertainty, trauma, disconnection, or unmet emotional needs.
That does not mean every young person is struggling, or that an entire generation should be defined by mental health challenges.
It means we owe young people curiosity before judgment.
Listening does not mean we have all the answers. Sometimes, it means creating enough safety for someone to discover their own.
Beyond the Classroom: Why Creativity and Belonging Matter
When we consider how to support the emotional well-being of children and teenagers, I believe we need to look beyond traditional conversations about mental health.
We need to look at the places where young people build relationships, discover their strengths, explore their identities, and learn that their voices have value.
This is one reason I appreciate the work of organizations like CYT National (Christian Youth Theater).
CYT is a national youth theater organization offering performing arts education through theater classes, camps, productions, and other creative experiences. Its programs create opportunities for young people to explore acting, music, dance, technical theater, and collaborative storytelling.
But when I think about the potential impact of programs like these, I think about something beyond performance.
I think about the young person who has never felt comfortable speaking in front of others.
I think about the teenager who is still discovering their identity and searching for a place where they feel accepted.
I think about the student who may not see themselves as a performer but discovers confidence while building a set, operating lights, learning choreography, or working alongside a team.
These experiences can offer opportunities to practice communication, collaboration, responsibility, and self-expression.
The goal is not to suggest that every child needs to participate in theater.
It is to recognize that young people need meaningful spaces where they can explore who they are without feeling that their value depends entirely on achievement or perfection.
CYT National's commitment to developing character and creativity through theater arts provides one example of how intentional youth programming can bring families and communities together around a shared purpose.
As a therapist, I see value in environments that encourage connection, expression, and healthy relationships.
These experiences do not replace therapy when professional mental health care is needed. But supportive extracurricular communities can be an important part of a young person's broader support system.
Helping Young People Find Their Voices
There is something powerful about watching a young person begin to believe that what they have to offer matters.
For some, that confidence develops through academics or athletics.
For others, it may emerge through art, music, performance, volunteering, mentoring, or community service.
Organizations like CYT recognize that young people have different strengths and different ways of contributing.
A student who loves being on stage may discover a passion for storytelling. Another student may discover purpose through technical production, leadership, or supporting the people around them.
Both experiences matter.
I think this is an important lesson for adults who work with young people.
We cannot determine someone's potential solely by how they perform in one environment.
A quiet student is not necessarily disengaged. A young person who struggles academically may possess remarkable creativity, emotional awareness, or leadership abilities.
When we create different pathways for participation, we make room for more young people to recognize their value.
And when people begin to recognize their value, we create opportunities for deeper connection.
This is part of what makes community-based youth development so meaningful.
It gives us another way to communicate a message every young person deserves to hear:
You have something to contribute. Your presence matters. And you deserve space to grow.
Character, Creativity, and the Communities We Build
One aspect of CYT National's mission and values that stands out to me is its emphasis on people, service, character, and community.
CYT is a faith-based educational nonprofit whose programs welcome participants from different backgrounds. Its values reflect a commitment to bringing families together and creating spaces where young people can develop their abilities while building meaningful relationships.
While every organization has its own identity and mission, I believe there is a larger lesson here for all of us.
The environments we create communicate something to the people who enter them.
They communicate whether there is room for mistakes.
They communicate whether people are valued for who they are or only for what they accomplish.
They communicate whether belonging is something freely offered or something that must constantly be earned.
When we work with children and teenagers, those messages matter.
I often think about how different someone's experience of growing up can be when they have access to adults who encourage them, peers who support them, and spaces where they can participate without fear of being dismissed.
That kind of community requires intention.
It requires leaders who recognize that building character is not simply about teaching young people to follow rules.
It is also about modeling empathy, accountability, humility, respect, and care for others.
These are skills and values that extend far beyond a stage, classroom, or program.
They influence how young people eventually engage in their relationships, workplaces, and communities.
The Difference Between Being Resilient and Being Supported
I hear the word resilience used frequently when discussing young people.
And resilience matters.
But I also think we need to be careful about what we are asking people to endure in the name of being resilient.
Sometimes, resilience becomes another expectation.
We celebrate young people for overcoming difficult circumstances without asking why those circumstances were so difficult in the first place.
We admire their strength without considering what it cost them to become strong.
I believe we can recognize someone's resilience while also acknowledging that they deserved more support.
Support may look like accessible mental health services, a trusted teacher, a caring mentor, an engaged parent, or a community arts program where a young person feels connected.
The presence of supportive relationships does not eliminate every challenge.
But it can make a meaningful difference in how young people experience those challenges.
When I look at community programs such as CYT Dallas, I see an example of why accessible youth development opportunities are worth supporting.
Programs like these create possibilities for young people to connect with others through shared interests and creative work.
And they remind us that investing in young people is not only about responding when something goes wrong.
It is also about creating environments where they have opportunities to thrive.
Watch: Serving Our Youth — Gen Z
In this recorded 2022 discussion, Serving Our Youth: Gen Z, I joined Shari Wjota for a conversation focused on serving the next generation.
Watch the conversation on Vimeo
As you watch, I invite you to consider what it means to show up for young people in your own community.
Are we creating spaces where they feel safe enough to speak?
Are we listening when their experiences challenge our assumptions?
Are we providing opportunities for them to explore their creativity, build meaningful relationships, and discover their strengths?
These are questions worth returning to, regardless of our professions or backgrounds.
Mental Health, Culture, and Identity Are Connected
One of the most important lessons from my work in mental health is that healing never happens in isolation from the environments we live in.
Our families shape the stories we tell ourselves. Our cultures influence how we express emotion, understand responsibility, and seek help.
For many young people, especially those navigating multiple cultural expectations, identity can become a complicated experience.
They may feel pressure to succeed while carrying responsibilities at home. They may be balancing family traditions with personal values. They may love their communities deeply while also questioning expectations that no longer serve them.
I believe culturally responsive mental health care requires us to hold space for all of that complexity.
We do not have to ask people to abandon their culture to pursue healing.
We can honor where someone comes from while helping them imagine where they want to go.
This philosophy is central to the work we are building through The Candela Collective.
Our approach recognizes that language, culture, relationships, and lived experiences matter.
We want people to feel that their identities are not obstacles to overcome, but meaningful parts of who they are.
And I believe that same principle matters in youth development.
Whether someone is participating in counseling, theater, education, or community programming, they deserve to experience belonging without feeling pressured to diminish themselves.
Healing Happens Beyond the Therapy Room
When I think about why I created The Candela Collective, I return to a belief that has followed me throughout my professional journey.
Healing is not limited to a clinical appointment.
It can begin when someone finally feels understood.
It can happen when a young person recognizes that their feelings are valid, when a family learns a healthier way to communicate, or when a community creates opportunities for people who have historically been overlooked.
Therapy is one meaningful pathway toward healing, but it is not the only place where care and connection can exist.
Through Candela Counseling, we offer culturally responsive, bilingual mental health services that honor people's identities, experiences, and individual needs.
Our work also extends into education, workshops, speaking engagements, and community conversations.
I believe community organizations, creative programs, and professional mental health services each have different but important roles to play.
And I believe the more intentionally we work to strengthen those connections, the more opportunities we create for people to feel supported.
What I Hope We Remember About the Next Generation
If there is one thing I hope people carry forward from conversations about Generation Z, it is that young people do not need us to have everything figured out.
They need us to be present.
They need adults who can listen without immediately correcting them.
They need leaders who recognize inequities.
They need educators, organizations, and professionals who understand that emotional wellness is connected to identity, opportunity, creativity, and belonging.
And they need communities that recognize their potential without demanding perfection.
Organizations like CYT National help illustrate how investing in young people through creative education and community participation can be part of that larger work.
If you are interested in learning more about youth theater opportunities, you can explore CYT National, discover CYT Dallas, or find a CYT branch in your community.
And if you are seeking mental health support or looking for ways to create more intentional spaces for healing and growth, I invite you to explore the work we are doing at The Candela Collective.
Because supporting young people is not just about preparing them for the future.
It is about recognizing their humanity right now.
When young people have opportunities to be heard, supported, and empowered, we create possibilities that extend far beyond one generation.
And that is a future worth building together.
About Hilda H. McClure, LPC
Hilda H. McClure, MA, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, educator, speaker, mental health advocate, and Founder & CEO of The Candela Collective. Her work focuses on trauma-informed healing, culturally responsive mental health care, leadership, and expanding access to meaningful support for individuals and communities.
Through counseling, education, public speaking, and community engagement, Hilda works to create spaces where individuals can pursue healing without leaving their culture, identity, or lived experiences behind.
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This article reflects personal perspectives on youth development and mental health. It is intended for educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized mental health care.