There is no single path to improving youth mental health. This map reflects what we’ve heard across dozens of conversations with practitioners, researchers, funders, and youth leaders: change happens through relationships, culture, services, and systems—and none of these alone is sufficient.

By mapping these organizations according to how they work and where they focus their effort, this framework challenges the idea that the field must choose between direct support and systemic change. Instead, it shows how different strategies reinforce one another—and why collaboration across approaches is essential.