High school students across Montgomery County, including in the Potomac area, can sign up to become peer mental health ambassadors through the county's BTheOne program before classes resume this fall.

The Department of Health and Human Services is actively recruiting teenagers to join the youth-led campaign, which trains students to talk with classmates about mental health, substance use and suicide prevention. Program leaders announced the recruitment push at County Executive Marc Elrich's weekly media briefing on Friday, July 17, timed to National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.

Since launching in 2017, BTheOne has reached students at 17 public and private schools across the county. Teen ambassadors have trained more than 700 peers to recognize mental health warning signs and connect classmates with help, according to program leaders.

What ambassadors actually do

The program offers two levels of involvement. At the first level, students share BTheOne's digital posters and materials on their personal social media accounts. The county's rationale: teenagers often have large followings among their own age group, and peers may trust them more than adults delivering the same message.

The second level goes further. Students lead activities at their schools: group mindfulness sessions, self-soothing kit workshops, movie screenings with guided discussions, poster campaigns and assemblies featuring professional or student speakers. School counselors or administrators oversee all student-led events, and speakers are vetted before participating.

At the July 17 briefing, ambassador Sarah Insa Sadio urged peers to cut back on doomscrolling and work with parents to create tech-free zones at home, including bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms, in addition to getting adequate sleep.

How Potomac families can get involved

BTheOne recruits ambassadors from across the county and seeks students who understand the cultures shaping mental health in their own communities. The program was originally developed with student input at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda.

Students interested in joining can email [email protected]. The Montgomery County Collaboration Council for Children, located at 12320 Parklawn Drive in Rockville, administers ambassador inquiries. No formal application deadline has been announced, but recruitment is underway ahead of the new school year.