What We Do
At The Jed Foundation (JED), we work to protect emotional health and prevent suicide for our nation’s teens and young adults — a leading cause of death among young people, and one that is preventable. Our work is guided by our evidence-based framework, the Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention, originally adapted from the U.S. Air Force’s suicide prevention strategy and honed by two decades of experience.
Today, JED’s work centers on three areas of focus to give teens and young adults the skills and support they need to thrive today — and tomorrow: Equipping Individuals, Strengthening Schools, and Mobilizing Communities.
Our Three Areas of Focus
Equipping Individuals
Research shows that building resiliency and life skills, promoting social connectedness, and encouraging help-seeking and help-giving behaviors in teens and young adults have far-reaching benefits, helping them manage life’s challenges and to thrive. JED’s Mental Health Resource Center, campaigns, and partnerships engage teens and young adults where they are and in a way they’ll relate to.
Strengthening Schools
School is a critical part of students’ support network and emotional safety net. JED partners with colleges and universities, high schools, and pre-K–12 school districts, as well as a variety of youth-serving community organizations, to evaluate their needs, create a strategic plan, and help them implement systems, programs, and policies. The goal is to create a culture of caring that protects student mental health, builds life skills, and makes it more likely students will seek help and struggling students will be recognized, supported, and connected to mental health care.
Mobilizing Communities
Our mental health is impacted by the world around us, and many factors can influence the perspective, well-being, and behaviors of our teens and young adults. JED advocates for policies to create a culture of caring to protect youth mental health, while working with and equipping families, friends, community organizations, and corporate partners to spread awareness, spark crucial conversations, and raise funds to prevent suicide and boost teen and young adult well-being.
Our Comprehensive Approach
JED’s Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention is a framework that holistically addresses all aspects of young people’s emotional well-being. It centers interventions with proven success: building supportive environments that reduce risk, increase connection, and make help easier to access.
Seven Thematic Domains
- Foster Life Skills
- Promote Connectedness and Positive Culture
- Recognize and Respond to Signs of Distress
- Reduce Barriers to Help-Seeking
- Ensure Access to Effective Mental Health Care
- Establish Systems of Crisis Management
- Reduce Access to Lethal Means
Based on the Comprehensive Approach, JED’s programming draws on data and research to provide tailored recommendations and interventions that account for the unique stressors and specific needs of the youth and communities we serve.
Our Impact
JED has worked with schools, districts, and campuses representing more than 1,200 schools and reaching more than 6.5 million students. Students at schools that completed the JED Campus program reported they were 25% less likely to attempt suicide, 13% less likely to make a suicide plan, and 10% less likely to experience suicidal ideation. Additionally, more than 250,000 young people visit JED’s Mental Health Resource Center every month.
Learn more about our impact
See where JED works with our impact map