Boys Town’s partnership with Omaha Public Schools (OPS) has sparked remarkable growth in youth mental health engagement, dramatically increasing downloads of the Your Life Your Voice (YLYV) app and expanding access to lifesaving resources across the district.
In 2024, the YLYV app recorded 2,347 downloads. Just one year later, that number skyrocketed to 78,459, an unprecedented increase driven largely by OPS’s adoption of the platform and increased social media presence. The partnership began to take root in April 2025, when Boys Town introduced OPS staff to the newest version of the app. Released in August 2024 as part of YLYV’s 15th anniversary milestone, the updated app featured improved tools, updated resources and a more youth-friendly design that resonated strongly with students and educators alike.
Following the introduction, Boys Town provided 13 coping skills kits to OPS middle schools. These kits, made possible in part through a Nebraska Medicine grant, quickly became valuable tools for classroom support and counseling sessions. Each kit includes practical, calming resources such as an emoji poster, sandscape, stress ball, calming stickers, journals and wallet cards, complementing the digital resources in the YLYV app.
Momentum continued to build throughout 2025. In October, Boys Town trained OPS’s entire mental health staff on the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, deepening their understanding of risk factors and strengthening their ability to support at-risk students. OPS staff also received additional training on suicidology and expressed a desire for continued collaboration on safety planning, reinforcing the district’s commitment to comprehensive, proactive mental health care.
OPS’s enthusiasm for the app led the district to add YLYV to all student devices and request further training and resources. This step ensured thousands of students could instantly access coping tools, tips and direct support whenever they needed it most.
Looking ahead, Boys Town will distribute additional coping kits to the remaining 74 schools across the district in February 2026. Plans are also underway for continued joint training opportunities and broader participation in statewide conferences, further strengthening the partnership.
What began as a single presentation has grown into a district-wide initiative that equips students, educators and mental health professionals with powerful tools for wellness and safety. Most importantly, this collaboration expands Boys Town’s reach to more at-risk youth in our community, meeting them where they are, both in the classroom and on their devices, with the support they deserve.
