When students at Rancho Cielo Youth Campus sat down to design their own peer-to-peer survey questions, they didn’t ask about academic stress or college applications. They asked about community safety and conflict at home. That difference reveals why this partnership exists.
AIM Youth Mental Health and Rancho Cielo are proud to announce the completion of a 12-session AIM Ideas Lab embedded directly into the school day at Rancho Cielo, bringing youth-led mental health research to students who have often been excluded from the conversation.
Youth as Researchers, Not Just Students
In Monterey County, young people are navigating economic instability, disrupted education, and limited access to mental health support. AIM Ideas Lab brings evidence-informed mental health education and youth-led research directly into that context. Rancho Cielo student researchers didn’t just learn about mental health; they examined it, questioned it, and built solutions grounded in their own lived experience.
“We never expect young people to arrive as finished experts. We expect them to grow, develop their understanding of the problem, and bring their own lived experience alongside the research skills AIM Ideas Lab gives them — and that combination is genuinely powerful. Working alongside Rancho Cielo to build this has been a joy for all of us at AIM.”
— Jolie Delja, Executive Director, AIM Youth Mental Health
What emerged reflected priorities that rarely show up in traditional research.
“The YPAR principle of ‘nothing about us, without us’ really came to life with this cohort. Rancho Cielo students came in with questions rooted in their actual lives and their community — and that’s precisely what makes youth-led research so powerful. When young people conduct their own research, their lived experiences shape everything: the questions they ask, the data they gather, the insights they draw, and the recommendations they make. You simply cannot get that from the outside.”
— Mariana Jimenez, Director of Youth Programs, AIM Youth Mental Health
Built on Co-Mentorship
Every session was co-facilitated by an AIM mentor and a Rancho Cielo mentor. That pairing matters: it gives students the consistency of a familiar face alongside a new relationship, while building the cultural competence, communication skills, and confidence to engage with mental health topics seriously.
“I’ve learned that when students feel cared for and welcomed, they show up differently. AIM Ideas Lab has reminded me that connection is the foundation of meaningful mental health work. It builds trust and opens the door for deeper conversations about mental health.”
— Maria Marquez, Rancho Cielo Mentor
“I am honored to be the research mentor for the AIM x Rancho Cielo program because I’m inspired every day by the student researchers. They are thoughtful, resilient, and full of valuable insight. When we invest in youth, their voices become powerful drivers of change.”
— Melanie Abarca, AIM’s Rancho Cielo Mentor
This partnership is a model for what mental health support can look like when it starts with listening, not assumptions. When young people are treated as researchers rather than subjects, the questions change. So do the answers. The 11 students who participated in AIM Ideas Lab proposed several ways to enhance mental health support at Rancho Cielo, including making more therapists available to students and creating awareness posters displayed across campus.
“I loved the process of creating the questions for the surveys. Being a part of this makes me want to go into the mental health field.”
-Jasmin Serrano, AIM Ideas Lab Youth Researcher
The program doesn’t end here. Jasmin and the other student participants will present their ideas to the leadership of Rancho Cielo and John Muir Charter Schools, with implementation as the endgame. Students who want to continue have the opportunity to move forward as AIMxRC Youth Ambassadors, supported by both organizations.
“At Rancho Cielo, we invest in the whole student, and life-skills development is a core component of that. Our partnership with AIM provides our youth with a unique opportunity to learn about, explore and exercise their own agency. They are developing critical communication skills and confidence to advocate in support of their own mental health and the well-being of their peers, equipping them to address real challenges in their lives and communities long after they leave our campus.”
— Chris Devers, CEO, Rancho Cielo
This work is made possible in part by a grant from Yellow Brick Road Benefit Shop, whose investment brings campus-based mental health education and youth-led research to students who are too often underserved by traditional systems. We’re deeply grateful for their support.
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About AIM Youth Mental Health
AIM Youth Mental Health amplifies youth voice in mental health research — equipping young people with the skills to examine the state of mental health in their communities and design data-driven solutions that create real change. Through the AIM Ideas Lab, AIM embeds youth-led research and evidence-based mental health education directly into schools and community settings, centering the expertise of young people as credible contributors to the solutions that affect them most.
About Rancho Cielo
Based in the heart of the Salinas Valley, Rancho Cielo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit investing in young people facing challenges for success through diploma education, vocational training, life skills development and wraparound support in a safe and affirming environment. Students earn a WASC-accredited high school diploma and leave prepared for college, careers, post-secondary training and military service, with the goal of sustaining fulfilling careers within five years of graduation. Established in 2000 on 100 acres, Rancho Cielo has served over 2,250 students from Monterey County for more than 25 years. Visit ranchocieloyc.org for more information.
