By Reyna Castillo
Every day at Project Vida, we meet young people who inspire us.
They are leaders in their schools, caregivers for younger siblings, advocates in their communities and role models for their peers. They navigate multiple cultures and languages, balance family responsibilities with academic demands, and remain deeply committed to building a better future for themselves and for El Paso.
Yet, despite their resilience, too many young people in our community are facing challenges that no child or teenager should have to overcome alone.
The data tell a sobering story.
One in four children in El Paso County live in poverty. Poverty is one of the most powerful drivers of health disparities, affecting everything from educational achievement to mental health outcomes and teen pregnancy rates.
At the same time, Texas continues to lead the nation with the highest proportion of children without health insurance — including 40% of young adults in El Paso County — posing significant barriers to preventive care, mental health treatment, and sexual health services. When young people cannot access basic healthcare, small problems become larger crises.
The mental health challenges facing youth today are especially alarming. Across Texas, 13% of Latino youth report having attempted suicide. Suicide is now the second-leading cause of death among young Texans.
These are not just statistics. They are our children, neighbors, classmates and future leaders.
At Project Vida, we hear directly from young people about the pressures they face. Many describe struggling with anxiety, depression, loneliness, stress and burnout. They are balancing academic expectations, financial hardship, family obligations, social media pressures and uncertainty about the future.
What they tell us they need is remarkably consistent: trusted adults who will listen, safe spaces where they feel accepted, access to mental health support, and opportunities to build confidence and connection.
We also continue to see significant gaps in access to accurate health information and services. Transportation challenges, language barriers, concerns about privacy, lack of insurance, and stigma surrounding mental and sexual health often prevent youth from getting the support they need.
The consequences can be profound. El Paso County’s teen birth rate remains 14% higher than the Texas average and 69% higher than the national average, underscoring the importance of ensuring young people have access to comprehensive health education and trusted resources.
The good news is that we know what works.
When young people have access to mentorship, leadership development, health education, and positive after-school opportunities, outcomes improve. Youths gain confidence. They build healthy relationships. They develop leadership skills and a stronger sense of belonging.
Through initiatives such as Project Vida’s Youth Leadership Initiative and PATH (Pre-Apprenticeship for Health) program, we see firsthand what happens when young people are given the tools and support they need to succeed. They become advocates, mentors, community leaders and agents of positive change.
But organizations like ours cannot meet these challenges alone.
That’s why we’re partnering with Healthy Futures of Texas to host the inaugural El Paso Adolescent Summit on June 25-26, convening leaders from education, healthcare, government, and business to identify and coordinate solutions.
Addressing the needs of El Paso youths requires a communitywide commitment. We need greater investment in affordable mental health services, youth development programs, mentoring opportunities, workforce readiness initiatives and comprehensive health education.
The future of El Paso — and Texas — will be shaped by the opportunities we create for our young people. They are doing their part: showing up, working hard and striving for a better future despite significant obstacles.
Now, it’s time for the rest of us to do ours.
Reyna Castillo is operations manager for the FuturGen Program at Project Vida.
The post Opinion: El Paso youth are showing resilience, but they need more community support appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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