Stigma Reduction Campaign

The MindShift Initiative: Youth-Driven Leadership for a New Era of Mental Health Advocacy

The MindShift Initiative is the Village Project’s premier youth-led program, designed to reduce stigma, amplify youth voice, and cultivate transformative leadership in mental health. At the core of MindShift is a bold, future-forward strategy: treat young people not as passive recipients of services, but as architects of the solutions themselves.

Under the leadership of Ayo Banjo, Project Director and political strategist, MindShift leverages a custom-built “squad model”—dividing youth into functional leadership teams (Communications, Event Planning, Public Relations)—to facilitate real-world impact while building professional skill sets. The program engages youth ages 8–16 through immersive workshops, podcast production, spoken word events, peer outreach, and participatory research rooted in lived experience.

MindShift is as much a movement as it is a program:

• Scalable & Data-Informed: With robust metrics tracking growth in confidence, self-expression, leadership, and impact storytelling.

• Culturally Responsive: Designed for and by youth from historically marginalized communities.

• Clinically Connected: Operates in close collaboration with mental health professionals for trauma-informed support and early intervention.

• Civically Embedded: Youth connect directly with public stakeholders, policymakers, and partners to shape the systems that impact their lives.

From podcasts that spark intergenerational dialogue to community events that elevate youth expression, MindShift is charting a new path forward—where mental wellness is not just treated, but led by the very voices most impacted.