Selena Gomez has long been a vocal advocate for mental health. The 32-year-old actress has spoken candidly about her mental and physical health struggles with lupus, anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. She’s also used her platform to fund philanthropic efforts surrounding mental health including her own nonprofit, The Rare Impact Fund, through her make-up brand Rare Beauty. This week, Google announced that it would be distributing $10 million to five leading nonprofit organizations supporting youth mental health and education, including The Rare Impact Fund. Through this partnership, one million teen students and teachers across the country will receive mental health support through DonorsChoose, including funding for all current mental health-related projects on the online charity platform, $500 in funding for new and future projects, and access to mental health training courses in exchange for $200 credit. As part of the project rollout, Gomez visited Eagle Rock High School in Los Angeles, California, where she met local students and teachers and discussed the importance of mental health, according to a blog post she wrote in collaboration with Google.
“I know that being a teenager can feel complicated and lonely,” Gomez wrote. “We have to give teens resources so that they can build strong mental health habits. That’s why at the Rare Impact Fund, we want to expand access to mental health services by meeting young people where they are: the classroom. We’re proud to team up with Google to help achieve that goal.”
With the rise of social media and the impacts of COVID-19, today’s teens face more complicated mental health issues than those from past generations. This especially impacts Latinx teens, who are constantly facing issues related to immigration, the cultural stigma surrounding mental health, language loss, and the pressure to assimilate. As of 2024, they are 60 percent more likely to experience poor mental health compared to their peers from other ethnic groups and 37 percent of Latinx teens have experienced symptoms of depression with 22 percent having attempted or considered suicide. Add on the lack of digital safety and protections and it creates a larger mental health crisis in young people that can often feel inescapable.
To combat this phenomenon, Google has pledged $6 million to DonorsChoose and an additional $1.5 million in donations to The JED Foundation, Child Mind Institute and The Steve Fund. The Rare Impact Fund will receive $1.25 million. All of the organizations will design and make available training sessions geared toward educators who want to make a positive impact on the mental health of their students. Upon completion of these courses, teachers can earn up to $200 in DonorsChoose credits.
“No one should feel isolated in their mental health experiences, especially young people, who can be especially vulnerable to those struggles,” Gomez added in her post. “Support is out there. And by standing together, we can make a real difference in teen mental health.”
