The best support for young people isn’t a program. It’s a person.

A few weeks ago, I was in a room full of people who had just met some of the most impressive young people in Delaware. Our annual Youth of the Year Gala brought together hundreds of guests, community leaders, families and supporters to celebrate the finalists of our statewide Youth of the Year program. One by one, these young people took the stage. They were poised, thoughtful and clear. They spoke about their communities with genuine care and about their futures with real confidence.

I watched the faces in the room. People were moved. Some may have been surprised.

They shouldn’t have been, but I understand why they were. Because the story we tell ourselves about today’s young people is often pretty dark. Anxiety. Depression. Screens. Disconnection. We hear it constantly, and the data behind it is real and worth taking seriously. Youth mental health challenges are elevated, and we should not look away.

But I do want to push back on something: the idea that there is something fundamentally wrong with this generation. That kids today are weaker, more fragile or less capable than those who came before. I do not believe that, and I have the evidence sitting right in front of me every time we hold this event.

What I see in our Youth of the Year finalists, and in the thousands of young people we serve across our more than 40 Club locations statewide, is potential. Resilience. Humor. Drive. They give back. They’re paying attention to the world around them, and they’re thinking critically about their place in it. Given the right supports, they will be more than fine; they will thrive.

But again, the mental health concerns are real, and they demand an intentional, coordinated response. And in my experience, the most effective solutions start with one thing: steady, trusted adults.

Ask any one of our Youth of the Year finalists what made the difference in their life. What helped them navigate the hard moments, stay focused and keep going. Every single one of them gives you the same answer. A person. A Club staff member who knew their name and their story. An adult who showed up consistently and helped them know they mattered and that their future was real and worth working toward.

That is not a coincidence. That is the science of healthy development playing out in real lives.

Decades of research point to the same finding: one of the most powerful protective factors for a young person’s mental health and long-term well-being is a consistent, caring relationship with a trusted adult. It buffers against anxiety and depression. It builds resilience. It encourages strong decision-making and discourages involvement in risky behaviors. It makes young people more likely to seek help when they need it, and more likely to thrive when they have it.

The challenge is that this kind of relationship does not happen automatically. It requires conditions, time, consistency and trust built over months and years in environments where young people feel safe, seen and valued. Those conditions have to be created intentionally. For too many young people in Delaware, they are missing.

That gap is worth naming this Mental Health Awareness Month. Not that our kids are broken, but that far too many of them are navigating through life without a single adult who truly knows them. An adult who knows what they are carrying and will notice when something is off.

At Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware, building those relationships is the work. Our Club professionals show up every day in communities across this state, from Wilmington to Georgetown, from New Castle to Dagsboro, and they learn names, learn stories, show up and keep showing up. Kids come back not just for the programs but because someone there knows them. That continuity and consistency are not incidental to what we do. It is what we do.

Boys & Girls Clubs is not the only place this happens, and it should not be. Every school, neighborhood, faith community and youth-serving organization has a role to play in making sure young people have steady adults in their corner. But institutions cannot do it by themselves. It takes individuals choosing, again and again, to show up.

Here is the ask: show up in the life of a young person. You do not need to be an expert or have all the answers. You need consistency and care. Show up with positivity and optimism. Start with curiosity, assume the best and let them know you are glad to see them. Coach the team. Volunteer at a school or youth organization in your community. Join the PTA. Be the adult in your congregation who actually talks to the teens, not just about them. Mentor. Invest. Stay.

And support the organizations in your community that are intentionally building the conditions for these relationships to form, the spaces that help young people be safe, seen and valued. That work is happening every day across Delaware. It deserves your attention, your advocacy and your partnership.

The young people who stood on that stage will tell you exactly what they needed to become who they are. They will point to a person.

Be that person for someone.

Jon Tucker is Chief Operating Officer at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware