Community colleges step up to address young adults’ mental health
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Young people feel uneasy about the future. But educational institutions are stepping up to give them the tools they need.
For many young adults, the future doesn’t seem so bright.
Young people are increasingly “uncertain about what's going to happen in the future, and they don't really see an easy path to get there,” said Carol Graham, senior fellow in the Economic Studies program at the Brookings Institution.
Rising college and housing costs have made key pieces of the American dream harder for young people to achieve. Social media has been blamed for declining youth mental health. And issues like political polarization, climate change and a tough job market for the college graduating class of 2024 are also contributing to a loss of hope among college-age individuals, Graham said.
Now community colleges, which play a key role in making postsecondary education more accessible, are focusing on their students’ mental health and life skills, along with academic education and career readiness.
“Our name implies we are the community’s college, so we have access to a wide range of students with a variety of needs … to engage with,” said Scott Markland, senior vice president for student development at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. The college, which welcomed more than 15,500 students back to campus this week, offers numerous services and resources for students to sharpen their life and career skills.
One resource, Markland said, is the college’s African American Male Initiative, which aims to support personal and professional development for Black male students. Through the program, students receive guidance on skills like personal finance, job searching and interviewing. The initiative launched in 2016, and since 2018 the college has seen a 78% increase in African American male graduates.
But the work can’t be done by one sector, Markland said. Sinclair works closely with the state and local governments to support the college’s programs.
The Ohio Department of Higher Education, for instance, offers funding for workforce development programs at community colleges and other higher-educational institutes in the state through its Talent Ready grant program. Sinclair, which has received more than $750,000 in funds through the program, awarded its first round of funding for 20 students in June.
Mentorship and career development opportunities can help “give [young adults] the tools they need to navigate these [hard] times, and that will enhance the chances that they get a good job [and] a good future,” said Graham, of Brookings. Helping students realize they have agency to improve their lives can help deconstruct their “sense [that] everything is uncertain and falling apart.”
At Macomb Community College in near Detroit, for instance, new students are paired with a mentor who can offer guidance and counseling as they navigate their college career, she said. To further support students’ academic and career pursuits, Macomb partners with 10 other colleges and universities in the state that allow some of their courses to be offered at the community college under its University Center program.
The program “makes completing a four-year degree much more achievable and attainable,” Graham said, as many students are also working, for instance, or may have families to care for, which limits their academic mobility.
More community colleges across the U.S. are stepping up to support students as they transition to life after school, Markland said. For instance, in 2023 Sinclair joined Aspen Institute’s Unlocking Opportunity program, a network of 10 community colleges that aims to reform schools’ policies and practices to help more students obtain employment after graduation or pursue a bachelor’s degree.
Ultimately, such programs can set young adults up for a hopeful future, Graham said, and counteract their sense that “everything is uncertain and falling apart.”
