Denton teen’s nonprofit Dare to Live partners with UNT Psychology Clinic

A youth-led mental health nonprofit started by a Denton teenager has partnered with the University of North Texas to help more teens and young adults find support.

Ajim Tubuo founded Dare to Live when he was 16. Now 17, he's a freshman at UNT. He describes Dare to Live as "a youth-led nonprofit that's dedicated to promoting suicide prevention and mental health for teens and young adults." Tubuo has said the idea came from his own experience with anxiety and depression, which started in ninth grade.

Once Dare to Live was up and running, Tubuo looked for groups and schools working on mental health that he could partner with. He got involved with UNT's chapter of Active Minds, another mental health nonprofit. Students he met there told him about the UNT Psychology Clinic, which offers low-cost mental health services on a sliding scale to students and the public. Tubuo said Dare to Live has donated $10,000 to the clinic.

Jennifer Schwartz directs the clinic and has worked in college training clinics for more than 20 years. She said the partnership is a first for her. "This is the first one that is youth-led and the first one where a high schooler was the one who approached me," Schwartz said. UNT News reported that Tubuo hopes the partnership will help build a sense of belonging in the UNT community.

The original story was reported by the Denton Record-Chronicle and republished by The Moore County News-Press, with more from UNT News.