Creating a global movement to improve the mental wellbeing of young people
Overview
We believe in a world where every young person is empowered with the tools and information to promote positive mental wellbeing.
1 in 7 youth suffers from a mental disorder.
Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder.
Mental health illness costs USD 1 trillion a year.
Mental wellbeing matters - it is an invisible crisis that is having detrimental consequences for youth. And yet, it is often deprioritized and severely underfunded. We believe that the most effective and sustainable approach is to focus on promotion and preventative measures.
Investing in the mental wellbeing of young people saves lives and leads to positive outcomes in many aspects of life. When mental wellbeing is addressed, individuals are able to realize their full potential, cope with stress, and positively contribute to their communities.
The benefits of investing in prevention and promotion for young people far exceed the costs. It is estimated that every $1 invested in public mental health prevention saves $5 in health spending.
We need more private and public sector leaders to raise their voices and take collective action to promote the mental wellbeing of adolescents.
Our approach
We focus on prevention, promotion, and impact on young people (ages 13-35) to make positive, transformative change and improve mental wellbeing for young people. Adolescence is not only a tumultuous period, it is also a crucial time to lay the groundwork for life-long healthy behavior patterns and social/emotional learning.
With mental health conditions like anxiety and depression becoming increasingly prevalent, the time to act is now.
We are committed to ensuring meaningful, sustainable change. For this reason we build multi-year partnerships and work to build capacity to better equip charities to scale their work for the long term.
Current spending overwhelmingly prioritizes care and treatment over prevention. As a result, there's an alarming shortfall in funding and attention for proactively managing mental wellbeing before crises occur. We see great value in addressing this gap and aim to redefine how mental health is addressed globally.
We are transforming the global mental wellbeing system by:
- Designing and distributing innovative tools, campaigns and solutions to benefit underserved youth.
- Developing advocacy programs with key allies to influence governments in promoting and prioritizing Mental Wellbeing.
- Steering new partnership models between the public, private and non-profit sectors to increase funding and expand impact.
- Challenging and changing the system in how mental wellbeing/mental health is being prioritized.
We want to enable today’s youth to thrive in an increasingly complex world. Together, we can reduce stigma related to mental health, build pathways of resilience, and save lives.
Our programs
Currently we have 35 prevention and promotion programmes implemented in 33 countries through a wide variety of delivery mechanisms and settings – in-school, at home, through sport, in emergencies, and online.
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I know personally that when all you understand is emptiness. One letter - one human connection - can save a life. Mental health matters; mental health is personal. I fight because I can't bear it otherwise.
