1 in 7 children and adolescents face mental health challenges. Young people facing mental health challenges are vulnerable to social exclusion, discrimination, stigma, and physical health problems. How can we support and address young people’s needs, particularly those most impacted by mental health challenges?
In a recent article, Girls’ Globe spotlighted Being and other global initiatives supporting young people’s mental health worldwide and our recent concurrent session at the 2023 Women Deliver conference in Kigali, Rwanda. Our partners, Fondation Botnar and United for Global Mental Health, hosted a panel session on young mothers’ mental health with The Global Fund, Mothers2Mothers, and She Writes Woman on Tuesday, July 18, 2023.
The panellists urged the importance of investing and supporting holistic approaches considering young mothers’ relationships, employment, etc., over the historical medicalization of mental health. Participants also shared personal stories highlighting how collective care, mentorship and peer support can help eliminate mental health stigma and support young mothers through knowledge sharing.
“You’re having this time period where you’ve just given birth […] but then at the same time, maybe you’re an adolescent, or maybe you’re a young woman, which also comes with so much other vulnerabilities.”
Aviwe Funani, Senior Officer at United for Global Mental Health, interviews youth attendee Theodora Khofi following our concurrent session in the Girls’ Globe Solidarity Studio.
How is Being supporting the mental health needs of young people?
We want to support the mental health needs of young people, particularly those most in need and impacted by mental health challenges. Through our in-country partners, we’re conducting multi-stakeholder consultations with young people, civil society, etc., to help us understand young people’s mental health needs in each priority country. Together we’ll identify opportunities for research and innovation to support and address young people’s priority needs.
Learn more about what we do.
“For things to be relevant, to be feasible, to be scalable, to be pertinent to the people who most need support, it needs to come from the communities themselves.”
Girls’ Globe Advisor Felogene Anumo speaks with Nicole Bardikoff, Associate Director of Global Mental Health at Grand Challenges Canada.
Read the full Girls’ Globe article and takeaways, featuring video interviews with panellists on their website: https://www.girlsglobe.org/2023/07/21/advocating-for-young-peoples-mental-health-personal-stories-to-global-initiatives/.
