{"id":1228,"date":"2022-10-25T17:36:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-25T17:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/?post_type=news_item&p=1228"},"modified":"2023-07-08T04:42:14","modified_gmt":"2023-07-08T04:42:14","slug":"launch-of-being-a-new-international-mental-health-initiative-for-young-people","status":"publish","type":"news_item","link":"https:\/\/being-initiative.org\/fr\/news\/launch-of-being-a-new-international-mental-health-initiative-for-young-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Lancement de Being\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Being, an international mental health initiative to fund and support research and innovative approaches that improve the mental wellbeing of young people aged 10 to 24 in low- and middle-income countries, launched today. The initiative is hosted by Grand Challenges Canada<\/a> (GCC), in partnership with Fondation Botnar<\/a> of Switzerland and United for Global Mental Health<\/a>, whose expertise and worldwide network will support advocacy, stakeholder engagement and other vital functions, and with institutional support from Global Affairs Canada<\/a>. Being is made possible with initial funding of $35M (CAD), which notably consists of an initial investment provided by Fondation Botnar for the first phase of Being, and an investment from Grand Challenges Canada through the Government of Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Globally, 75% of all mental health challenges begin before age 24, and almost 46,000 adolescents die from suicide every year, putting it among the top five causes of death for their age group. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), up to 90% of the mental health needs of young people are going unmet due to a lack of resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cToday, mental health challenges affect one in five children and adolescents worldwide; with the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and the recent rise in living costs, we risk this worsening, along with the prospects and hopes for our future generation to experience wellbeing and thrive<\/em>,\u201d said the CEO of Fondation Botnar, Stefan Germann<\/strong>. \u201cAt Fondation Botnar, we are proud to have supported key interventions that prioritize young people\u2019s mental health. Building on this experience and learning, we are thrilled to join such exceptional partners in this new collaborative effort, Being, with and for young people to improve mental wellbeing through innovation and research that will create positive, lasting change in local communities and beyond.<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Engaging Partners in Low- And Middle-Income Countries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Being will engage governments and policymakers from low- and middle-income countries. Although the lost contribution to economies due to mental disorders that lead to disability or death among young people is estimated at nearly $390 billion a year<\/strong>, on average, only 2% of national health budgets is spent on mental health and often less than 1% in LMICs. In comparison, only 0.24% of international development assistance is dedicated to child- and family mental health support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe need to invest in evidence-based and inclusive approaches to support mental health with young people worldwide,\u201d<\/em> said Karlee Silver, Co-CEO of Grand Challenges Canada<\/strong>. <\/strong>\u201cWe know that lasting change will only happen when decisions are made by those living closest to the challenges to be overcome and approaches allowed to evolve. By supporting young people and their communities, Being is designed to build on relationships, knowledge, expertise and the personal investment of local stakeholders in order to unlock sustainable and scalable solutions for youth mental health.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Being will support research as well as community-based and young people-focused innovations in Romania, Tanzania, Colombia, Ecuador, Ghana, Senegal, India, Morocco, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sierra Leone and Vietnam \u2013 with the aim of creating supportive communities where young people have the means and agency to promote their wellbeing according to their needs. These initial priority countries were selected for their fast-growing urban environments \u2013 a special focus of interest for the initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Objectives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Being wants to improve the mental wellbeing of young people in LMICs and bring positive system-level change to local communities and beyond through a coordinated and strategic approach that combines networks, research, innovation, policy and advocacy, and engagement with young people and people with lived experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The experiences acquired in the initial focus countries will be of global relevance. Being and its partners want to create an ecosystem for young people’s mental health by promoting the ongoing exchange of new evidence, innovations and learnings to inform international discourse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being will influence lasting change in programming, research and policies through active networks at national and global levels by connecting donors, funders, investors, governments, multilateral scaling partners, local intermediaries, and communities. The initiative will also consist of a Council, inclusive of young people and people with lived experience. Being\u2019s Council members will inform the initiative’s focus, principles and direction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members of the Council:<\/p>\n\n\n\n