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Nominate an Outstanding Young Person for ABCT’s Youth Community Leader Award

New & Noteworthy


ABCT’s Youth Community Leader Award 2024 is targeted only to young people ages 7 – 17 living in the greater Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia area via community engagement, service, activism, advocacy, research, or other creative approaches? Are you that kid or teen? ABCT is seeking nominations for the 2024 Youth Community Leader Award.

Nominations are due by June 7, 2024. 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 the 2024 ABCT Convention, November 14 – 17, in Philadelphia, PA, where they will receive their award.

The primary goals of this award are:

  1. To find, connect, and celebrate kids and teens in our 2024 convention host city of Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia community are eligible for this award and participation is subject to legal guardian consent. 

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.

Related Information

Suggested Resources

What Is Cognitive Behavior Therapy?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a type of treatment that is based firmly on research findings.  It places emphasis on changing your cognitions (thoughts) or behaviors (actions) in order to effect change in how you feel. These approaches help people in achieving specific changes or goals.

Changes or goals might involve:

A way of acting: like smoking less or being more outgoing;
A way of feeling: like helping a person to be less scared, less depressed, or less anxious;
A way of thinking: like learning to problem-solve or get rid of self-defeating thoughts;
A way of dealing with physical or medical problems: like reducing back pain or helping a person stick to a doctor’s suggestions.

Cognitive behavioral therapists usually focus more on the current situation and its solution, rather than the past. They concentrate on a person’s views and beliefs about their life. CBT is an effective treatment for individuals, parents, children, couples, and families. The goal of CBT is to help people improve and gain more control over their lives by changing behaviors that don’t work well to ones that do.

How to Get Help

If you are looking for help, either for yourself or someone else, you may be tempted to call someone who advertises in a local publication or who comes up from a search of the Internet. You may, or may not, find a competent therapist in this manner. It is wise to check on the credentials of a psychotherapist. It is expected that competent therapists hold advanced academic degrees. They should be listed as members of professional organizations, such as the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies or the American Psychological Association. Of course, they should be licensed to practice in your state. You can find competent specialists who are affiliated with local universities or mental health facilities or who are listed on the websites of professional organizations. You may, of course, visit our website (www.abct.org) and click on “Find a CBT Therapist”

The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) is an interdisciplinary organization committed to the advancement of a scientific approach to the understanding and amelioration of problems of the human condition. These aims are achieved through the investigation and application of behavioral, cognitive, and other evidence-based principles to assessment, prevention, and treatment.