Youth for Emotional and Social Support (YESS)

Overview

The Youth for Emotional and Social Support (YESS) Programme is a peer-led mental health intervention implemented across technical college campuses in India, supported by CSR funding from Brakes India Pvt. Ltd. The programme, grounded in principles of Mental and Emotional First Aid (MEFA), aims to create a cadre of peer supporters trained in psychosocial support. Utilising the evidence-based task shifting approach, peer supporters are equipped with skills such as effective communication, empathy, well-being strategies, and healthy coping through discussions, activities and practical simulations across an intensive four-day training. The program has a structured, multi-tiered supervision system overseen by a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at RAHAT, who in turn supervises Mentors (Counselling Psychologists) to ensure continuous support and mentorship to the Peer Supporters.

Rationale

With the rising incidence of student suicides in India, it has become increasingly important to equip young people with the correct knowledge and tools to identify signs of psychological distress in themselves and their peers. Specifically, they can act as pillars of support for one another, providing a model for effective task-shifting and psychosocial support and referral networks. The Youth For Emotional and Social Support (YESS) Intervention is an evidence-based intervention created to tackle the mental health treatment gap at the prevention level – by utilising peer interactions. By normalising conversations around mental health, encouraging early help-seeking, and embedding peer support within campus culture, the programme addresses stigma, delays in care, and the lack of structured early intervention models in higher education settings.

Progress So Far

The YESS program is currently being pilot tested in 3 technical colleges to assess its feasibility and acceptability: Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Goa Campus (BITS), National Institute of Technology, New Delhi (NITD), and Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies, New Delhi (VIPS).

The pilot study has received ethical clearance from Convergent IRB, a third-party Institutional Review Board, ensuring the quality of research and encouraging the appropriate use of research. Approximately 28 Peer Supporters across 3 campuses have been trained to recognise signs of  psychological  distress,  offer first-line support, and guide peers toward appropriate help. Initial implementation has demonstrated strong student engagement and highlighted the potential of peer-led models to strengthen campus mental health ecosystems.