{"id":2693,"date":"2026-01-13T16:53:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T21:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/?post_type=innovation&#038;p=2693"},"modified":"2026-01-13T16:53:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T21:53:54","slug":"building-an-ecosystem-to-support-mental-health-prevention-and-promotion-and-stigma-reduction-for-youth-and-communities-in-sierra-leone","status":"publish","type":"innovation","link":"https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/fr\/innovations\/building-an-ecosystem-to-support-mental-health-prevention-and-promotion-and-stigma-reduction-for-youth-and-communities-in-sierra-leone\/","title":{"rendered":"Building an Ecosystem to Support Mental Health Prevention and Promotion and Stigma Reduction for Youth and Communities in Sierra Leone"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"685\" src=\"https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/iStock-90974674-1024x685.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2694\" srcset=\"https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/iStock-90974674-1024x685.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/iStock-90974674-500x335.jpg 500w, https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/iStock-90974674-768x514.jpg 768w, https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/iStock-90974674-1536x1028.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/iStock-90974674-2048x1370.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/iStock-90974674-18x12.jpg 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo credit: iStock Photos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"ql-bg-container-block_e7decf1f0e5ba9ffd1e4411703a66946\" class=\"acf-block ql-bg-container bg-white\"><div class=\"ql-bg-container-inner\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Organisation de mise en \u0153uvre :<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cartercenter.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Carter Center<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Type de projet :<\/strong> Ecosystem Catalyst Grant<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lieu : <\/strong>Sierra Leone<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/cropped-carter-center-favicon-300x300-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2695\" style=\"width:94px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/cropped-carter-center-favicon-300x300-1.png 300w, https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/cropped-carter-center-favicon-300x300-1-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/cropped-carter-center-favicon-300x300-1-12x12.png 12w, https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/cropped-carter-center-favicon-300x300-1-75x75.png 75w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:23px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Nos <a href=\"https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/fr\/ecosystem-building\/\">Ecosystem Catalyst (EC) Grants<\/a> help scale youth-led ideas, remove barriers to mental health prevention and promotion support, and test how youth-led innovation can work within and improve existing systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ecosystem-building-in-sierra-leone\"><strong>Ecosystem Building in <\/strong>Sierra Leone<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Stakeholders consulted highlighted that while national legislation criminalizes harm-reduction activities and drug users for both possession and use, which can perpetuate stigma, the recent declaration of Kush as a national emergency presents an opportunity. This moment can be used to strengthen preventative approaches to youth mental health and wellbeing in policy to address the underlying factors of drug use like poverty, trauma, lack of economic opportunities, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-ecosystem-catalyst-project\"><strong>The Ecosystem Catalyst Project<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The Carter Center will support advocacy efforts that influence national policies and regulatory frameworks on mental health and substance use towards effective prevention and promotion strategies and stigma reduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through a coordinated approach, involving local mental health experts, youth, and people with lived experience, Sierra Leone\u2019s substance use and mental health priorities will be mainstreamed as drivers for youth mental health and wellbeing. The Carter Center will leverage existing networks and collaborate with relevant partners, including the Ministry of Health and the Presidential Taskforce on Mental Health, to address systemic barriers hindering the development of new and revised policies and regulatory frameworks for substance use and mental health, while building local demand for innovations to reduce and prevent substance use among young people.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"ql-button-block_d6feda6bbb863415e2c9ff481f3a4e01\" class=\"acf-block ql-button button-left\"><a class=\"ql-button-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cartercenter.org\/\" target=\"_self\">Learn more about The Carter Center!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"template":"","innovation_country":[50],"innovation_project_type":[87],"driver":[],"thematic-area":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2693","1":"innovation","2":"type-innovation","3":"status-publish","5":"innovation_country-sierra-leone","6":"innovation_project_type-ecosystem-catalyst-grant","7":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - 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