Lilly Kacziba '27 Named to 2026 National Mental Health Youth Council!

Congratulations to Lilly Kacziba ‘27, who was named to Creative Visions’ 2026 National Mental Health Youth Council! Less than 20 teens from across the US were named to the council, and Lilly is also the only member from New York! Lilly was invited to apply after the organization reached out through InnerView. After completing the application and sharing why youth mental health is important to her, Lilly was chosen to join the council, where she will collaborate with youths in her community to promote awareness and advocacy around mental health.

The council has been tasked for Creative Visions’ CreateConnectCare challenge, a project that encourages young people to reflect on their mental health through creative expression. Youths interested are asked to submit different forms of art, including writing, photography, music, and dance, that represent how they practice self-care. As part of the program, each council member also created and submitted their own piece of art. In addition, Lilly’s role is to recruit at least 50 youths to contribute artwork to the initiative, helping expand the conversation around youth mental health.

At Molloy, Lilly is working with Campus Minister Ms. Haslbauer to host after-school service opportunities where students can create and submit their artwork. During the first session, students were invited to draw how they practice self-care. They could draw their favorite hobby, an activity that brings them joy, or any other thing that “fills their cup,” as Lilly described it. There will be two more opportunities to participate, one on Monday, March 9th, and another on Monday, March 23rd! 

Lilly is also reaching out to school clubs and even a local Girl Scout troop to encourage participation in the initiative. “The whole point is to raise awareness for youth mental health,” says Lilly, “and teach people that they can use art to reflect on and process their emotions so they don’t have to keep them bottled in.” Molloy is proud of Lilly’s dedication to spreading mental health awareness! Go Stanners!