ABSTRACT
Although most young people navigate adolescence without difficulty, some experience serious mental health concerns. These concerns impact educational engagement; left untreated, the impact can be profound and lasting. Marginalised youth are particularly vulnerable. Notably, young people who have been alienated from mainstream schooling are significantly more likely (compared to mainstream students) to experience serious emotional challenges and engage in risky or antisocial behaviour. School exclusion also isolates young people from important developmental opportunities. There have been numerous calls for better mental health support for young people in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ), particularly for those within underserved populations. Positive Youth Development (PYD) programmes are intrinsically engaging settings that promote thriving through a holistic strengths-based approach. Combined with therapy, PYD programmes have the potential to improve the mental health of marginalised young people while supporting their holistic development. The Campus Connections (CC) mentoring programme is a promising practice model that combines PYD and therapeutic strategies and has been culturally translated to support the development and wellbeing of young people who have been alienated from mainstream education in NZ. Using CC as an exemplar we discuss how to support the wellbeing of marginalised youth.
