The Youth Peer Mentor Program (YPMP) was developed to support the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) goal to serve youth and rural areas of the state to reduce unmet treatment needs and opioid/fentanyl overdose related deaths through the provision of evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery services.
The Youth Peer Mentor Program (YPMP) seeks to address California’s substance use crisis by:
Take a moment to complete the Interest Form if you would like to learn more about the program or talk with a team member about bringing YPMP to your community.
“I am tired of living in a dog mind and I’m starting to live in the Lion mind.” – Group Participant
“I have not been able to get sober on my own and have felt very powerless in my world. One small win is my family isn’t so worried about what I’m doing.” – Group Participant
“I can’t follow everyone to prison. I have to have a lion mind for myself.” – Group Participant
“When we speak up and support each other, we break the silence that keeps so many trapped. Every time we show up for someone else, we show them that recovery — and hope — is real.” – Group Participant
“I never received a certificate before. This makes me so happy.” – Group Participant
“I saw the stars!! Seeing them and Big Dipper made me cry because now we rarely get to see the stars. And that zipline! It was super fun but super scary. As I flew and felt safe and saw that river below me, it was pure bliss and disbelief! Nature is so beautiful.” – Natural High Retreat Participant
“Nobody ever treated me this way before. Not ever. I didn’t think I was worth it. I have never felt this good, ever, in my whole life. I wanna do this for my mom. No one ever treated her this good, ever.” – Natural High Retreat Participant
Brittney and Taj were selected to be part of a youth panel discussion at the 2023 Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Integrated Care Conference. They both started as participants in our Youth Peer Mentor Program (YPMP) in 2020. They went on to become Peer Mentors in their community, certified facilitators in our Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment program, Peer Mentors at our Natural High Retreats, and they are now certified Substance Use Disorder Counselors in the state of California. Here is an intro video which was used at the recent DHCS conference.
Our team works with non-profits, CBOs, foster youth programs, school districts, county offices of education, county behavioral health, probation, juvenile detention centers, prisons and jails. Our goal is to equip our partners through training and technical assistance to deliver trauma-informed, evidence-based programming in mindfulness-based substance use prevention and recovery for youth and young adults. As of 2025, our team has trained over 400 facilitators from more than 100 partners across the State of California. We are here to serve our partners and support them in reaching youth and young adults in their communities.
“Graduation from the Mindfully Exploring Substance Use Program has led to several inspiring success stories among our community youth. Students consistently reported feeling more confident in managing their emotions and making healthier choices in high-pressure situations. These outcomes reflect the transformative power of the program — not just in raising awareness and preventing substance misuse, but in equipping youth with lifelong tools for mental health, self-empowerment, and community connection.” – Program Facilitator
“One young person, who had been struggling with negative thoughts and feeling down, requested a one-on-one session upon our arrival to the group. The session turned out to be incredibly powerful. What stood out most was his willingness to advocate for himself — an encouraging sign of growth that reflects the supportive environment we have been able to co-create.” – Program Facilitator
“This gave youth a chance to get out of the city and have a day to be one with nature. For many of the youth it was their first time seeing and touching snow. The youth had an opportunity to be like kids and marvel and play for the first time in a long time.” – Nonprofit Executive Director, Natural High Retreat
“We had an experience that we thought only drugs could provide, one of euphoria and strength. They came to understand that there is a ‘natural high’ life can provide through encouragement, acceptance, growth and intention. As our day came to an end they all wanted us to share with you: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.” – Program Facilitator, Natural High Retreat
“Today we had the best natural high experience with our students from our continuation high school. It brought tears of joy to my eyes several times. The kids come from such hard backgrounds and are challenging to reach. Today some healing happened for all. I’m so grateful for this program.” – School Counselor, Natural High Retreat