From the Solutions Journalism Network. You can read the original post here.

The Solutions Journalism Network is thrilled to announce its second class of HEAL Fellows — U.S. journalists reporting on, for and with young people who are facing mental health challenges and healing through innovative community responses.

Building on insights from the inaugural class of fellows, the 10 selected HEAL Fellows will:

• (H)elp spread rigorous reporting on what’s working to address mental health issues and inequities;
• (E)xpand young audiences’ access to solutions reporting on issues affecting them;
• (A)ssess the impact of their solutions reporting in the community;
• (L)earn and teach others how to report on and amplify youth mental health solutions.

Meet the 2024–25 HEAL Fellows and learn more about their projects:

Khysir Carter (Philadelphia) is a multimedia journalist and creative writer who has published stories through local newsrooms like Kensington Voice and radio programs like PhillyCAM’s Block by Block. Beyond reporting stories, he has also had experience with photography, copyediting and mentoring youth in writing published essays and poetry for a newspaper.

For his HEAL project, Khysir will produce a series of solutions stories focused on organizations that empower youth in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood through workforce development, mentorship and mental health support.

Bridget Fogarty (Milwaukee) is a journalist covering Milwaukee’s West Suburb communities for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She previously reported about Omaha’s Latino and immigrant communities for The Reader and El Perico as a 2021–23 Report for America corps member. Bridget has also worked in engagement and reporting roles with the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and as a Chicago Documenter.

For her HEAL project, Bridget will report on communities’ efforts to provide trauma-informed responses to crisis calls, and how youth are taught about intervention.

Colleen Hamilton (New York) is an independent journalist who covers the intersection of climate and culture. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times Style Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, The Cut, Teen Vogue and Them, among others. She is also the editorial director of PLAY, a cookbook-magazine dedicated to LGBTQ+ life that contains recipes, stories and essays for liberation.

For her HEAL project, Colleen will report on grassroots organizations in the South that are helping queer and trans youth navigate the “twin storms” of the climate crisis and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

Delonte Harrod (Baltimore) is the founder, reporter and editor of The Intersection Magazine, a digital publication that covers Prince George’s County in his native state of Maryland. He received a bachelor’s in mass communications from Paul Quinn College, the oldest HBCU west of the Mississippi River, and a master’s in journalism from Regent University. He’s worked as a freelancer, newsroom reporter and editor, and has covered religion, racism, justice, military veterans, local politics and entertainment.

For his HEAL project, Delonte will report on the ways local institutions provide services to youth in Prince George’s County/Washington, D.C.

Bri Hatch (Baltimore) is a Report for America corps member covering education and youth for WYPR in Charm City. They’ve spent the past year elevating solutions to issues affecting young people as part of a local Baltimore newsroom collaborative, with specific focus on well-being and empowerment. In college, they covered rural K-12 education tensions and interned for The Chronicle of Higher Education, where they focused on highlighting stories about equity and inclusion.

For their HEAL project, Bri will focus on school-based efforts to address student mental health crises, with a specific emphasis on support for LGBTQ+ kids.

Anika Nayak (New York) is a Gen Z freelance reporter covering public health and care delivery. She was previously a Journalism & Women Symposium Health Journalism Fellow, supported by the Commonwealth Fund. Her writing is shaped by her experiences in community health work and advocacy.

For her HEAL project, Anika will report on how young people are thoughtfully responding to their peers in crisis, and what’s working to help them access safe and timely care.

Mariela Santos-Muñiz (Guayanilla, Puerto Rico) is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in Prism, palabra. and more. Her writing mainly focuses on Latine people in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Mariela has an M.A. in international relations and international communications from Boston University, and works as the collaborative journalism newsletter writer at the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University. She is launching a bilingual news venture about Puerto Rican arts and culture.

For her HEAL project, Mariela will report on art-related solutions for mental health challenges by young adults in Puerto Rico, and share art-related resources that promote their mental well-being.

Lauren DeLaunay Miller (Bishop, California) is an award-winning author, reporter and audio producer whose reporting focuses on health, immigration and the environment. Lauren holds a master’s degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and now works as a California Local News Fellow reporting on rural health for California Health Report. In 2022, Lauren released her first book, “Valley of Giants: Stories from Women at the Heart of Yosemite Climbing,” which won awards in scholarly nonfiction, climbing literature and women’s studies. Her reporting on health disparities faced by pregnant women won her multiple honors at the California Journalism Awards.

For her HEAL project, Lauren will report on culturally competent solutions to addressing the mental health care needs of immigrant youth in California.

Heidi Shin (Boston) is a journalist, podcast producer and writer. She’s especially interested in the stories of immigrant communities and the inevitable connections between life abroad and life in the US. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic, NPR’s “Snap Judgment” podcast, Atlas Obscura, BBC, WGBH, and PRI’s “The World,” among other outlets. She teaches about podcasting at the PRX Podcast Garage and Harvard University’s Shelemay Sound Lab, and leads Boston’s Sonic Soirée. Heidi also consults about podcast development and speaks about immigration; reporting about trauma; and racial identity.

For her HEAL project, Heidi will explore the strategies that public schools and community organizations are using to help immigrant youth process trauma.

Andy Steiner (St. Paul) is a mental health and addiction columnist for MinnPost, a nonprofit online daily based in Minneapolis/St. Paul. She previously worked as an editor at Utne Reader and the Minnesota Women’s Press. Her writing has been published in local and national publications including Ms., Glamour, Self, AARP The Magazine and the Toronto Sun. She is also the author of four books — about breastfeeding, everyday resilience, and girls and women in sports.

For her HEAL project, Andy will report on new state-funded mental health support programs that are making a difference for underserved children in Minnesota’s public schools.