What: Youth Mental Wellbeing: A Youth-Led Design Lab on Brain Health, the Arts & AI is a first-of-its-kind participatory symposium at UCLA, bringing together approximately 600 youth leaders, policymakers, neuroscientists and artists. Youth attendees will lead breakout sessions and co-author the California Youth Wellbeing Blueprint, a set of concrete, actionable demands directed at state lawmakers, funders and public health officials.
On the opening day of Mental Health Health Awareness Month, UCLA’s Semel Institute is convening this symposium under a single guiding principle: Youth lead. Adults support. Three simultaneous breakout tracks in the arts, AI, and neuroscience will give young Californians direct authorship over policy recommendations. Those findings will be sent to the California Behavioral Health Commission and inform a strategic engagement arc extending through the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art grand opening, Super Bowl LXI and the LA 2028 Olympic Games.
When: Friday, May 1, 2026, 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Where: UCLA Luskin Conference Center 425 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095
Featured speakers and experts:
UCLA Jane & Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior researchers, including internationally recognized neuroscientists presenting cutting-edge findings on brain health, neurodevelopment, sleep and performance, substance use disorders and neurodegenerationEraka Bath, M.D., UCLA Department of Psychiatry, HeArts Art and Healing InitiativeMarco Iacoboni, M.D., Ph.D. and Rujuta Bhatt-Wilson, Semel Institute neuroscientists specializing in music, art and the brainDarrell Steinberg, former California state legislator and original author of the Mental Health Services ActSteve Carnevale, California Behavioral Health CommissionerJordana Steinberg, Youth Mental Health AdvocateJocelyn Meza, Ph.D., UCLA Child PsychologistRobert Ross, former President, California EndowmentMusic and dance performers including Common, Tiger La Flor and Neil Geraldo,
Visuals: Performances by youth poets, dancers and musicians. Live breakout sessions with youth co-authoring policy documents in real time using AI tools. Panel discussions with state officials and leading researchers.
Media Credentials: Members of the media wishing to attend should contact UCLA Health media relations officer Will Houston at whouston@mednet.ucla.edu to request credentials. Space is limited.
More information: www.semel.ucla.edu/youth-mental-wellbeing-vip
The Jane & Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior is one of the nation’s leading research centers dedicated to understanding, treating, and preventing neurological and psychiatric disorders. Located at UCLA, the Semel Institute integrates research, education, and clinical care to advance brain health across the lifespan.