Youth-driven mental health organization has found its new home in Redwood City

The organization hosts youth-led workshops on the multifaceted intersections of mental health and offers a space for drop-ins at the office. Students also coordinate to bring educational tools to their campuses and host community events to promote storytelling. Another facet of the organization is the short films students work on with a director for education purposes. 

SafeSpace does not provide any clinical work, but it is a component of the larger effort to address the mental health crisis among teenagers, Kim said, providing them a sense of agency over these discussions. 

“This is where you don’t have an adult telling you what to do,” Kim said. 

While finding a physical building to operate the organization may feel small, the process in securing SafeSpace’s home was intentional, requiring a great deal of patience, Kim said.

“It’s their space,” she said. 

When the staff at SafeSpace repeatedly heard students say they did not want to go to Menlo Park, where they previously operated an office, they knew they needed to “be where the kids are,” Kim said. Being in Redwood City means reaching a more targeted audience, and provides a great opportunity for students in need to happen upon the space, she said. 

“We really were intentional in moving our office and setting roots in Redwood City,” Kim said. “It has such vibrant, diverse, culturally rich neighborhoods.” 

For nearly the past year, after operations ceased in Menlo Park, the staff and teens were meeting at Redwood City Public Library or the Red Morton Community Center, patiently waiting for the right space to become available, Kim said. 

“Everything, and timing, happens for a reason,” Kim said. “But once the teens did a walk-through and gave the thumbs-up, we moved on it.”

The chosen location near public transportation, and how the interior is designed, was completely up to the students, Kim said, however, the adults organized signing a lease. The agency students maintain within the organization translates to how they carry themselves in the world, and how they are learning to navigate the mental-health challenges they may face. 

“We’re their partners, we want to bring their dreams to a reality,” Kim said. “We want them to know that there’s no idea too big or small, we’re going to support you.”

A couple years ago, a handful of students were opening up to one another and sharing their struggle with disordered eating. After realizing that many of them went through similar experiences, the group then organized a peer presentation workshop on the topic. It became so widely attended that the topic became the focus for a short film. 

“It was this really natural thing, from a few kids, to a workshop, to a signature film for that year,” Kim said.  

The new office, located at 2737 El Camino Real, will be open to teens who may be stressed out with school or their family life, or just need respite, after school hours Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Ultimately, the community will indicate whether SafeSpace should open for more days, Kim said. 

Offering these programs and the space to connect with other teenagers is intended as prevention, Kim said. As California implements Proposition 1, which dedicates more than $6 billion to mental health treatment and housing for those with mental health challenges, Kim said dedicating resources to prevention is just as important. 

While funding for the organization was originally through private donors, in recent years, the organization has secured grants from the county, state and school contracts. Safespace operates a teen focused center in Redwood City, and young adult focused space in Oakland.

When students can share exactly how they feel with one another, a support system is created that helps them navigate tough situations, which is the intention of SafeSpace, Kim said.

“These students are so courageous, I think how open their conversations are has grown a lot,” Kim said. “They say all the time, they want to put their pain to purpose.”

Go to safespace.org for more information.