Youth and young adults (ages 14 to 30) with serious mental health conditions are a very large population with strikingly poor outcomes. For both students and young workers, a serious mental health condition is a major barrier to success. Research has documented that these young adults have serious struggles in both school and work, often even more so than other disability groups. Additionally, the movement from adolescent to mature adulthood for young people with serious mental health conditions is made more difficult because it spans the ages that child and adult service systems address. The transition to adulthood is a critical life stage when the learning that occurs, both in school and in the larger world, lays an important foundation for individuals’ future work life.
The Learning & Working Transitions RTC
The Learning and Working Transitions RTC focuses on this at-risk population by conducting cutting-edge research on age appropriate programs that support education, training, and working during the transition to adulthood. By focusing on youth and young adults between the ages of 14-30 who have serious mental health conditions, we hope to better understand the necessary support programs that are needed during this important developmental stage. We will develop the knowledge gained from this research and share it with service providers and policy makers so it can inform and ultimately impact policy and practice. We additionally aim to gather the voice of youth and young adults across the nation by ensuring that all research, training, and dissemination activities are guided by youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions who work with the RTC.
