Beeline Reader
Empowering Teens with Confidential Online Resources and Life Skills to Navigate Mental Health, Education, and Employment Challenges
Johan, an 11-year-old Nicaraguan boy, was forced to leave his home, friends, and school behind when he moved to the city with his grandparents while his father sought work in Costa Rica. María Teresa, a young Honduran, struggled with low self-esteem, unable to face her own reflection, and feeling disconnected from those around her. Joaquín, a Costa Rican athlete, masked his inner struggles by projecting toughness on the field, all while his mental health quietly deteriorated.
These are just a few of the over 160,000 users that comprise the fabric of TeenSmart International (TSI).
For over twenty years, TeenSmart has been a health-tech leader in Central America, offering a free, digital safe space for youth ages 10-24 while addressing critical gaps in mental health, education, and employment faced by 14 million adolescents. Our solution is to promote 21st-century life skills and personal leadership in teens via JovenSalud.net, an interactive, online platform where youth have 24/7, confidential access.
In a region where youth health services have traditionally been face-to-face and mired in stigma, JovenSalud’s online platform offers an inclusive alternative. Youth guide their own process of reflection and support through the different services, which include: personal health quizzes, confidential coaching, a virtual health library, online chats and forums, and a community health resource directory.
To ensure continued relevance over its two-decade tenure, TeenSmart leverages user data, youth leadership groups, and a Gen Z advisory council to shape the platform and guide the development of new courses and programs.
Different studies have demonstrated JovenSalud’s impact, including improved family communication and relationships and sexual reproductive health knowledge.
In addition to being selected as a 2021 Solver, our platform was recognized by the Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI-LAC) sponsored by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO-WHO), the Inter-American Development Bank, Carlos Slim Foundation, among others, for our vision and exceptional health services. We’re also a current Elevate Prize finalist.
Recognition, along with political, technical, corporate, and community allies, has been instrumental in scaling TeenSmart’s impact in the region. Yet, with 70 million teens in Central America and Mexico, there’s still much work to be done in providing critical services to youth in crisis.
In puberty and adolescence, growth can be painful. There are ups and downs that we can't navigate alone, not unlike the journey of a social entrepreneur. Like so many innovators in the Solver program, TeenSmart has worked through growing pains by focusing on a user-first model and strong alliances in the region, weathering the last two decades and emerging as a more resilient organization. This is evidenced in the 60% growth we’ve seen in the last five years, half occurring between 2023-2024.
Our small, tech-savvy team of 15 employees and 50 volunteers hopes to inspire others to persevere through the complexities of scalability as we continue to forge toward our goal of supporting millions of teens.
Learn how you scale the work of TeenSmart and other social innovators by supporting MIT Solve.