Breaking Barriers with Youth
Breaking Barriers with YOUth (BBY) is a place for youth and adults to come together and share their perspectives about what is happening in the world today. With your hosts Jamal Givens and Hassel Gastelum, BBY will discuss how youth are dealing with various issues in their school, families, and communities. As adults who care about youth it is important to understand what teens are going through and how they view today's changing world. In addition, we will hear from adults who are advocates for youth and how they feel they impact youth. This podcast will share resources for parents, youth, grandparents, and caring adults. BBY is supported by LPKNC, a nonprofit organization that focuses on prevention of substance use/misuse and abuse, promotes mental health and wellness and prevention of suicide. LPKNC and BBY believes in Youth-Adult Partnerships. Youth-Adult Partnerships is a relationship between youth and adults where youth are afforded an equal voice at the table in anything LPKNC does. BBY models this partnership.
Breaking Barriers with Youth
Youth Voices on Mental Health, Social Media, and School Support
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In this episode of Breaking Barriers with Youth (BBY), we elevate what matters most—authentic youth voice.
Co-hosts Jamal, Alejandro and Miriam lead a powerful conversation on the realities youth are facing today, from mental health challenges to the influence of social media and the critical role schools play in providing support. This episode reflects LPKNC’s commitment to youth-adult partnerships—where young people are not just participants, but leaders in shaping solutions.
Together, they unpack the state of youth mental health in Arizona and the growing need for stronger, more accessible support systems. For many youth, schools serve as the primary place for connection and care—yet gaps still exist. Resources may be available, but not always fully utilized or reaching students in meaningful ways.
The conversation also explores the dual role of social media. While it can provide a sense of escape and connection, it can also contribute to stress, comparison, and decreased self-esteem. Youth share how navigating both online and real-world relationships requires balance, awareness, and support.
Alejandro and Miriam speak candidly about the pressures youth face—academic expectations, peer dynamics, and at times, a lack of support at home. They also highlight the different ways young people cope, from healthy outlets like nature and connection to more isolating behaviors that signal a need for greater intervention and care.
At its core, this episode is a call to action for parents, educators, and community leaders.
Youth are asking for more than surface-level solutions. They want open conversations, accessible mental health resources, and environments where they feel seen, heard, and supported. They are also clear—removing or reducing mental health support in schools is not the answer. Strengthening it is.
Breaking barriers starts with listening.
And in this episode, youth are leading the way.
