2026 Teens Dream - Translated Feelings

For many teens around the world, asking for help with mental health feels like a confession. In immigrant families like mine, where cultural stigma runs deep and language barriers create walls of silence, struggling with anxiety or depression can feel like something to hide rather than heal. My dream is to change that. I believe in the power of connection to break cycles of isolation and shame. That’s why I’ve dedicated myself to mental health advocacy through organizations like allcove Youth Advisory Group and the Child Mind Institute, and why I’m proposing an international mental health pen-pal program that connects teens across borders. A friend once told me she never talked about her depression at home because in her culture, “mental health problems don’t exist, you just need to be stronger.” But after joining a peer support group where she met students from different countries who shared similar struggles, something shifted. She realized her feelings weren’t a personal failure but a human experience. A few weeks later, she opened up to her school counselor for the first time. Stories like hers remind me why this work matters. They prove that when teens realize they’re not alone, that someone across the globe feels the same weight, they stop seeing themselves as broken. Growing up bilingual, I learned to translate words between English and Chinese. But nobody taught me how to translate feelings. That gap between languages, cultures, and the words we’re afraid to say out loud is where stigma lives. And it’s where my dream begins. My dream addresses UN Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being. Specifically, Target 3.4, which calls for promoting mental health and well-being. But I’m not just dreaming about better access to therapy or more school counselors. I’m dreaming about a world where a teen in California can write a letter to a teen in Lagos and both realize their struggles aren’t shameful. They’re shared. Where cultural differences become bridges instead of barriers. Where mental health doesn’t depend on where you’re born, what language you speak, or how much money your family has. Education transforms minds, but connection transforms hearts. That’s why I’m working to make this dream a reality.