United for Global Mental Health

First #C20 Meeting with Honourable Minister Lamola, of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, as South Africa assumes its tenure of Heading the #G20. South Africa I’m so proud of us. 🇿🇦 Mental health remains a crisis and one of the highest burden of diseases in young people globally and especially in Africa. As Senior Policy Officer for Child and Youth Mental Health at United for Global Mental Health and the Being Initiative Stakeholder Engagement Lead, I look forward to our contributions on matters relating to youth mental health in Africa, to the G20 work. 🇿🇦 Pictured here with fellow colleagues advocating for the voices of youth in G20 processes. Ngaa Murombedzi Levi Singh @MuhammedYaeeshCassim #DIRCO #G20SouthAfrica #YouthMentalHealth #Being #UnitedGMH

Integration is the way forward! 🌍 During our mental health and HIV integration session at #AIDS2024, several key recommendations emerged: 💡Learn from communities: People with lived experience of HIV, TB, and mental health conditions are at the heart of the solution. We must continue to learn from them, meaningfully engage them, and ensure they are central to advocacy and action. 🌟Scale successful models: Across different countries, communities have developed effective models for integrating mental health into broader health systems. Let’s learn from these examples and scale what works. ✨Focus on sustainable integration: We must seek opportunities to sustainably integrate mental health components into services and health systems, learning from innovative community-based approaches that have succeeded at scale. 📣Let’s drive this momentum together! Read this blog by Yves Miel Z., to learn more. https://lnkd.in/dS2-6sjz #WorldAIDSDay #AIDS2024 #MentalHealth #HIV #Integration Elton John AIDS Foundation, The Global Fund, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc., Strong Minds, USAID, UNICEF and UNDP

Today, on #WorldAIDSDay, we reflect on the theme “Collective Action: Sustain and Accelerate HIV Progress.” 🎯Integrating mental health into the global HIV response is a game changer. It could reduce HIV infections by 10–17%. The bidirectional link between HIV and mental health is well documented, with growing evidence showing the impact of mental health interventions on HIV prevention, treatment, and care. 🌟While we’ve made significant strides in global discussions, much work remains. Together, let’s continue to champion solutions that integrate mental health into HIV responses for better health outcomes. 👏We appreciate our ongoing partnership with the Elton John AIDS Foundation and The Global Fund for their commitment to ensuring that integrated, person-centered care includes the mental health needs of individuals living with, at risk of, or affected by HIV. #WorldAIDSDay #HIVCare #MentalHealthIntegration #CollectiveAction #GlobalHealth #SustainProgress Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy, UNAIDS, USAID, UNDP and Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc.

🎉 And that's a wrap! What a truly magical 3 days at the Being Global Gathering in Rabat, Morocco! 💡 Day 3 Highlights: ✨ Scribbler Exercise: Innocent Chansa, MPH (Contact Trust Youth Association) energized us with an art therapy exercise based in self-expression. 🌍 Ecosystem Discussions: Led by Sireesha J. Bobbili (Grand Challenges Canada), Carolina Bermudez Currea (Kindred Foundation), Cătălina Popoviciu, Saad Uukkas, Jasmine Kalha, (Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy, ILS, Pune) Wilsen Widal Kho, Chikumbi Chambwe, Amisa Rashid (Nivishe Foundation) we dove into the challenges and opportunities for scaling youth mental health innovations. Innovators like Leena Chau from Simon Fraser University shared how local partnerships can help drive uptake of innovations like their app Vmood, which supports people in self-managing their depression in Vietnam. 📣 Advocacy Workshop: James Sale (United for Global Mental Health) inspired us with practical tools to amplify impact. A standout moment? Learning about Taskeen's incredible advocacy in Pakistan to decriminalize suicide—a powerful example of advocacy in action. Through several engaging activities, including rock, paper, scissors and paper planes, attendees learned from each other's advocacy approaches. 📊 M&E Workshop: Paula Yarrow (Waves for Change) spotlighted how qualitative tools like satisfaction surveys reveal insights beyond numbers, helping refine implementation. 🎤 Closing Address: Partners and innovators reflected on the event's magic together. Noor Azaiez (Association Interlinks, Tunisia) summarized it: "All the projects were inspiring, everyone was amazing. I'm looking forward to staying connected." This gathering was a powerful reminder of the impact of collaboration, learning, and youth leadership. 🙏 A huge thank you to Orygen, Fondation Mohammed VI des Sciences et de la Santé , all the incredible innovators, and Grand Challenges Canada for making it possible. Let's keep #BeingConnected as we continue this vital work! 💪 Science for Africa Foundation Fondation Botnar NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada

As we approach #WorldAIDSDay, we call upon governments and donors to integrate mental health services into HIV prevention, treatment, and care. We also advocate for broader integration of HIV and mental health services into primary care and beyond traditional health facilities to truly achieve people-centered care.  Integrating mental health into HIV and TB response would deliver big wins. 🎯It would mean almost 1 million people avoid contracting HIV (the same number of infections that is currently predicted for the year 2026). 🌟It would deliver faster progress toward global HIV and TB targets, improve the quality of life for vulnerable groups, and lead to a reduction in the impact of future pandemics. 💡Visit our website to learn more: https://lnkd.in/dHuSDQhg #WorldAIDSday #MentalHealthAndHIV Elton John AIDS Foundation, The Global Fund, Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy and UNAIDS

🌟 Day 2 Highlights from the Being Global Gathering! 🌟 We began with a refreshing 🧘🏾♀️ yoga energizer led by Dream Sports Africa before diving into a day filled with impactful discussions, practical insights, and on-the-ground inspiration. Here's what stood out: 💬 Parallel Discussions on: Social Media & Technology for Youth Mental Health 🌐 Lifafa Kange from LIFAFA RESEARCH FOUNDATION and Tiffany Mwathi from Mental 360 explored how digital tools amplify awareness, improve service accessibility, engage youth participants, and support fundraising efforts. Schools Driving Mental Health Outcomes 🏫 Florence Adong from BasicNeeds Uganda emphasized self-care for mental health providers. She shared successful approaches to engaging young people in district-level government advocacy. 💡 Fundraising Workshop featuring: Reinserta: Ana Echeverri, Ximena Palacios, and SANDRA IZQUIERDO highlighted innovative strategies like fundraising events, crowdfunding, and digital campaigns as key to success. SameSame (SiyaFanaFana): Jonathan McKay stressed the importance of diversifying funding, building an online presence, and leveraging storytelling. He shared insights on working with accelerators, being transparent about support needs, and fostering collaboration with funders. Women Friendly Initiative: Modupe Owolabi offered tips for proposal development, stressing early preparation, meticulous RFP reviews, and aligning proposals with funder priorities to maximize success. IFMSA-Morocco: A student organization emphasized engaging donors early to understand their priorities, ensuring alignment before pitching. 🚶♀️ Site Visits: InspireCorps (featuring Jihad Bnimoussa): Since 2019, they have been tackling stigma through youth development. They run creative workshops like mandala art for anxiety, train teachers in 3,000+ schools, and create tools like the Periodic Table of Emotions. We ended with a fun activity designing mental health solutions—and we won Moroccan sweets! 🍬 Collectif Autisme Maroc: This national network of parent associations offers lifelong support for youth on the autism spectrum through specialized education, early intervention, therapy, IT training, and life skills programs. Ar-razi Psychiatric Hospital: This outpatient facility, led by medical residents and a psychiatrist, treats youth under 18 with conditions such as autism, ADHD, and anxiety. Schools are critical in referrals, while the hospital supports families facing stigma and socio-economic barriers. We're excited for Day 3! 💪 #BeingConnected Orygen Grand Challenges Canada Fondation Botnar United for Global Mental Health Science for Africa Foundation NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada

Day 1 at the Being Learning Network Global Gathering in Rabat, Morocco! We had the opportunity to hear from the Being keynote panel, diving deep into their investment in youth mental health and exploring the exciting opportunities and challenges from global experiences. 🌍✨ Our team Bright Shitemi and Tiffany Jasmine are thrilled to be part of the ‘Being Connected: Global Collaboration for Youth Mental Health’ forum, where we are joining global innovators to explore how we can collectively improve youth mental health. From interactive table-top presentations to facilitated discussions on key topics like leveraging technology, measuring outcomes, and youth participation, this event is shaping up to be a game-changer for the future of mental health programs. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to connect, learn, and collaborate with incredible minds from around the world! Grand Challenges Canada Being Initiative Fondation Botnar NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Science for Africa Foundation United for Global Mental Health #youthmentalhealth #globalcollaboration #mentalhealthinnovation #connectingforchange #conversationssavelives #mental360kenya

Day 1 of the Global Gathering was full of inspiration and connection. 💡 We're sharing our key highlights here! 👇 🎤 A keynote panel with Yasmine Smires, UNICEF Maroc, Marielle Sander, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Maroc, Melani O'Leary, Grand Challenges Canada and Friendship Bench Zimbabwe's Providence J. explored valuable insights on mental health support for young people, including in crisis settings and shifting narratives by including young people directly in leading and designing programs. Providence Jongwedzvuku (Friendship Bench) also shared 4 key ingredients to scale mental health innovation: 1. Engaging community leaders to shape locally relevant, inclusive innovations. 2. Research and evidence to inform programs. 3. Innovation and amplifying innovative approaches. 4. Scaling strong partnerships to accelerate impact and secure funding sources. 🖼️ Innovators showcased their projects in interactive presentations and shared best practices and lessons learned with their peers in a collaborative format. Participants walked away with stronger connections. "Today we come to know that we can learn from each other," said one participant. With so many outstanding innovators in attendance from Grand Challenges Canada's Global Mental Health portfolio it’s hard to spotlight only a few, but here are some memorable moments from the presentations: 💬 "When you open wounds, you close them again." Rand Baba of the Tamer Institute for Community Education describes how their youth-led mental health ERs and community libraries across Gaza and the West Bank create immediate support networks in crisis settings. Rand emphasized how storytelling and safe learning spaces empower youth to express themselves, helping to combat trauma and the ongoing mental health crisis in Palestine. 💬"[We’re] strengthening, not building resilience, because people are already resilient."  Wanjiku W. from Green String Network, leading the Ustawi program in Kenya, offered an important reminder of the need to respect communities' inherent strengths and build on their existing capacities. 💬  "Youth mental health is not a monolith. When reaching out to vulnerable groups; approaches must be tailored." Mason Viet Trinh from Lighthouse Social Enterprise (Doanh Nghiệp Xã hội Hải Đăng) Vietnam, a peer-led mental health initiative for LGBTQI+ youth in Vietnam, emphasized that youth face unique challenges requiring solutions rooted in their experiences and contexts. 💬 "When you think about youth populations, do not disregard young persons with disabilities." A powerful reminder from Uttam Kumar of Sense International India, who works with children and youth with deaf-blindness in India. 💬  “With the combination of innovation and empathy, we can change the lives of young people.” Reinserta shared the powerful stories and lessons from their work with young people whose lives have been marked by violence in Mexico. #BeingConnected Orygen

At the recently held World Conference on Lung Health (#UnionConf2024), mental health dialogues took a front seat. It was encouraging to see TB-related stigma and the need for mental health integration emerge as central themes of the conference across various sessions. The message was clear: we must invest in mental health integration to improve outcomes, reduce incidence, and achieve cost savings. Read more reflections in the joint blog by UnitedGMH, Union TB, and the Mental Health Working Group here: https://lnkd.in/dta_G27F #UnionConf2024 #TBandMentalHealth Elton John AIDS Foundation, The Global Fund, Stop TB Partnership

🌟#ICYMI The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on Transforming Mental Health Implementation Research explores innovative strategies to transform research into actionable evidence for better mental health outcomes. 👉Dive into it here: https://lnkd.in/gvg_idg4 Earlier this year, we joined a webinar hosted by United for Global Mental Health and the Global Mental Health Action Network to discuss #mentalhealth implementation research. The session, chaired by Being’s Youth Advisor Jihad Bnimoussa, featured insightful contributions from UNICEF, Columbia University, and Sahil Chopra from Grand Challenges Canada, who highlighted findings from our landscape analysis report. Missed it? 🎥 Rewatch the webinar here: https://lnkd.in/dEsGdBN7