Last year, I was working on my assignments when I got a notification pop-up in my Canva inbox. Curious, I checked it and saw that the message was from my AP Psychology teacher. She was sharing an opportunity to join the AIM Ideas Lab program from AIM Youth Mental Health. I scanned the message briefly before quickly going on the website to sign up. I knew I couldn’t miss this chance, and that I could learn something meaningful from this program.
From January to March, I participated in the AIM Ideas Lab, where every Saturday I joined weekly meetings with my cohort to collaborate, discuss, and share new ideas in breakout rooms or in the main chat. The mentors guided us on how to take care of our mental health and shared resources that could benefit us. Our first assignment was creating a mental health survey for youth, where we brainstormed potential questions that could be asked.
After the survey was finalized, we had five weeks to distribute it to high schoolers, whether it was on social media, in classrooms, with help from counselors, by asking people directly, or more. Our final assignment was to compose a full research report based on the survey results. The mentors taught us how to analyze quantitative and qualitative data, write suggestions and recommendations, and create different types of graphs.
I can say that I had a great time participating in the Ideas Lab. I saw this as a valuable and notable opportunity to learn more about mental health research. I was able to strengthen my research skills and expand my knowledge of statistics, graphs, and writing solutions. The mentors were extremely supportive and helped lead us in the right direction. As time went by, I felt more encouraged to share my ideas with other people in my cohort. I gained more confidence knowing I wouldn’t be judged. The program left a positive impact on me as well. I used the list of resources the mentors provided and especially liked Youthline. I also picked up healthier habits, such as taking nature walks on the weekend. Overall, I was satisfied with the program, and I knew that I wanted to work with AIM Youth Mental Health afterward!
I did face some hurdles along the way. When I first took the survey, it took me about 5-7 minutes to finish, and I knew other people might not want to take such a long survey unless they were asked. I tried sharing the survey on my Instagram stories, and surprisingly, it got a lot of retention. However, I realized that I wasn’t able to track how many people actually completed the survey, since some might have seen the story without taking it. I decided to add a note asking people who completed the survey to message me afterward. In the end, messaging people directly ended up being the most effective method.
My advice for future youth researchers is to talk with your mentors and just have fun. The AIM Ideas Lab was an enjoyable experience, and I would recommend it to any passionate students who want to learn about mental health research.
Learn more about the AIM Ideas Lab here.
