Director of NAD Youth Programs, Chanel Gleicher Bonheyo, explains about one of our five 2022-2024 priorities, "Address Deaf Youth Well-Being."

What are the NAD Priorities? There are many important issues that the NAD focuses on -- however, the five NAD 2022-2024 Priorities help the NAD understand the community's wishes for the NAD to address during the next two years.

How were the NAD Priorities determined? At the NAD Conference, NAD members had the opportunity to discuss all proposals during the NAD Forums and narrowed it down to eight. Then the Delegates voted on the top five. A Delegate is an elected representative of a state association, organization, or NAD section.

We will share progress updates on our 5 priorities during the next two years! For more information about this priority, visit: Link . #AboutTheNAD

[Video desc and transcript: Chanel Gleicher Bonheyo is standing in the center with a black backdrop.

Chanel: Priority: Address Deaf Youth Well-Being. Problem to be addressed: The mental health of Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Hard of Hearing youth has taken a toll over the past several years including COVID-19 disrupting their lives. Given the decreasing number of members across organizations, it is critical to uplift deaf youth's self-esteem and confidence year-round through mentorship, skills training, and life coaching. When people are in survival mode, they are less likely to volunteer for social causes. This means needing to create a safe space throughout the mentorship programs, events, and professional development. The Proposed Solution: Conduct a nationwide online survey among Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Hard of Hearing youth. The resulting data will aid in developing and designing an inclusive mental health mentorship program for peer-to-peer learning and advocacy. A program should be developed to encourage these youth to volunteer for 2-4 events hosted by an organization as part of their emotional intelligence development. The reason of this priority: This focuses on the connection between young leaders in navigating an uncertain world. This allows them to build confidence as well as network to gain professional development.]