ABCT 57th Annual Convention Banner Cultivating Joy with CBT Seattle 2023

Youth Community Leader Award

Call for Submissions in the Greater New Orleans Area | Submissions Due June 30, 2025

Winners will be invited to ABCT’s 2025 Convention,  November 20–23, in New Orleans, LA. 

Nominations can be submitted by any adult familiar with youth nominees and their community work. Young people can also self-nominate with the consent of an adult. Please submit nominations through the linked form below.

Click here for the nomination form (Google form), which also contains more details about the award.

ABCT’s Youth Community Leader Award 2025 is targeted only to young people ages 7–17 living in the greater New Orleans area. Each year, the award will go to a young person in the greater area of our annual convention’s hosting city.

Do you know a kid or teen (ages 7-17) that has made a positive mental health impact in the greater New Orleans area via community engagement, service, activism, advocacy, research, or other creative approaches? Are you that kid or teen? ABCT is seeking nominations for the 2025 Youth Community Leader Award.

Nominations are due by June 30, 2025.Up to five awardees will be selected each year. These awards recognize outstanding kids and teens (7-17 years old) who are making a positive impact on their local community. Nominees who exhibit leadership, innovation, and a commitment to community change will have the opportunity to win a $200 cash prize and attend the2025 ABCT Convention, November 20–23, in New Orleans, LA, where they will receive their award.

The primary goals of this award are:
  1. To find, connect, and celebrate kids and teens in our 2025 convention host city of New Orleans community who are making a positive impact.
  2. Increase ABCT members’ awareness of young local leaders and learn from their expertise and innovation.
  3. Broaden awareness of ABCT and our community as a resource for the local New Orleans community.

We are excited to recognize local leaders who have used their passion, compassion, creativity, and expertise to affect positive change for others. A Youth Community Leader can affect change in a number of ways! They may petition to put an end to bullying in their school, register voters, conduct an innovative research project on suicide prevention, provide blankets to the unhoused, advocate for school initiatives to better meet the needs of neurodivergent students, educate classmates about mental health topics, or work to destigmatize therapy or asking for support.

Whatever the focus, ideal candidates demonstrate the following: (a) have made a positive impact in their local community (e.g., neighborhoods, school, places of worship, youth groups); (b) exhibit characteristics of a leader; (c) use innovative approaches to make a positive impact; and (d) efforts to promote change are aligned with the vision and mission of ABCT. Kids and teens from the broader New Orleans community are eligible for this award and participation is subject to legal guardian consent.