As parents ourselves, we know this journey. We know the pain of seeing your child in pain. The fear and shame we often experience when our child is struggling with mental health and substance use challenges. The frustration in trying to find support and services for our kids let alone for us as caregivers. The daily struggles with school or just worrying about their safety. Watching your child feel left out, alone, or bad about themselves. It's all real. We know, we have felt it too, and you are not alone.

Whether you're new to this journey or have been on it for a while, you've come to the right place. The Lifting Voices community is for you. It's about you. It's about your kids. It's about changing the conversation and our systems so that all youth and families can get the support and services they need to thrive. The future of our children, our communities, and our world is at stake.

Changes to our mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment have never been more critical than they are now. Our goal at Lifting Voices is to change the system and we know the best way to do this is to hear directly from the families and caregivers who share our experiences. We need your input, your suggestions, your voice. You are the best resource of advisors to drive this much needed change. We need you to speak up, to share what works and what doesn't, to tell us what is missing and how systems can do better. Together, with youth and young adults and the policy makers and advocates who support us, our community of collective voices are lifting now to advance mental wellbeing for every child and family. Please take a few minutes to complete our family/caregiver survey linked below and invite the youth and young adults in your life to complete our youth survey as well.