BEAMS COALITION OVERVIEW
The Building Emotional and Mental Strength Coalition (BEAMS) emerged in 2024 as a coordinated, community-driven response to Detroit’s growing youth mental health needs. Convened by Connect Detroit, the coalition started with an advisory committee of ten youth-serving organizations representing mental health providers, educators, and community-based programs across the city. Over an eight-month process of shared learning, landscape analysis, and joint planning, the advisory committee developed a unified strategy to strengthen mental health outcomes for Detroit youth, a population often overlooked yet deeply impacted by emotional and behavioral challenges. This collaborative work culminated in the creation of the BEAMS Youth Mental Wellness Action Plan and the BEAMS Youth Engagement Summit.
Held on October 18, 2025, the Summit brought together more than 100 youth, adult allies, presenters, and community partners for a full day focused on mental health awareness, healing, and resilience. Participants engaged in six culturally responsive workshops on suicide prevention, emotional regulation, bullying, anxiety, identity, and family engagement, facilitated by community members, licensed professionals, and trained peer leaders. The Summit not only offered immediate tools and emotional support but also revealed a deeper need for ongoing, structured spaces where adult allies can continue learning, sharing resources, and strengthening their capacity to support youth. This insight led to the committee’s recommendation to establish a Youth Mental Wellness Learning Community as the next phase of the work.
The proposed Learning Community is designed as a sustainable, six-session annual series blending in-person and virtual meetings, professional development opportunities, peer sharing, and youth-driven insights. Its purpose is to equip teachers, mentors, youth workers, and community leaders with practical tools, crisis-response strategies, family engagement approaches, and system navigation skills. Supported by meaningful incentives, strategic budget priorities, and partnerships with organizations such as Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN), National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Michigan, and Listen4Good, the Learning Community will create long-term infrastructure for coordinated youth mental wellness across Detroit. By investing in this Action Plan, partners will be helping build a compassionate, culturally grounded ecosystem where both youth and the adults who serve them feel supported, prepared, and connected in their commitment to mental health and resilience.
About the BEAMS Advisory Committee
In 2024, Connect Detroit convened a committee of ten youth-serving organizations in response to a growing call for coordinated, community-based approaches to youth mental wellness. The group—now known as the Building Emotional and Mental Strength Committee (BEAMS)—was intentionally selected to represent a cross-section of Detroit’s youth service ecosystem including, mental health providers and community-based organizations. The coalition’s logo was created by a young person in the Detroit ecosystem to bring a youthful aesthetic and draw. The organizations include Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, Wayne Metro Community Action Agency, Centers for Family Development, Inc., The Children’s Center, Central Michigan University TRIO Detroit, Urban Neighborhood Initiatives, Michigan Roundtable for Just Communities, The Youth Connection, Caleb’s Kids, and Detroit Horse Power. The committee was created to ensure that youth mental health was not addressed in silos but through a collective strategy grounded in community wisdom, data, and collaboration.
