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🔎 Did you know that youth aged 11-24 often face an average of three or more mental health diagnoses at once? These overlapping conditions can deeply affect their emotional, physical, and social well-being, and lead to long-term consequences. Yet, despite the urgent need for targeted interventions, many young people are overlooked in research and innovation efforts. The CALM study, part of OBI’s Integrated Discovery Programs, is bridging this gap head-on. By focusing on early detection and the development of precision interventions, CALM aims to reshape mental health care for youth with multiple conditions. Grounded in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), CALM’s approach is designed to improve the quality of life for young people as they transition from adolescence into adulthood. Although CALM is one of OBI's newest initiatives, it has already made significant strides. This past May, the CALM Summit brought together youth partners, clinicians, researchers, and community organizations to collaborate on new solutions. As Aidan Mohamed, a member of the Youth Advisory Group at CALM, shared: "The summit was an incredible experience — for the first time, I felt like part of the research team, not just a patient." Discover more about CALM’s mission to transform care for youth navigating multiple mental health challenges: https://www.calmstudy.ca/ #YouthMentalHealth #PrecisionCare #BrainHealth #OBI #MultipleMentalHealthConditions #MentalWellbeing

📝New research on differences between youth vs. non-youth perspectives on needed mental health resources. Youth prioritized resources that include: 🟢Promoting social connectedness 🟢Peer support 🟢Holistic health promotion Non-youth were more likely to prefer: 🟢Interventions focused on suicide 🟢Substance use prevention Despite differences in priorities, there was interest across all interventions. There was also agreement that: (1) schools were the most important settings and (2) investment in initiatives to reduce isolation and increase social connectedness is critical. Thanks, Augustina (Tina) Mensa-Kwao, MPH, CHES® and team for your leadership and work! Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/g_eis_yk

At Brightline, we're deeply committed to youth mental health care, and our exceptional team plays a vital role in fulfilling that commitment. Brightline execs are passionate about elevating youth mental health care and steadfast in their cause. In this month's Bright Minds feature, we're thrilled to introduce you to Brightline Chief Clinical Officer - Myra Altman, PhD., as she shares her insights on supporting youth mental health by increasing access. "We are experiencing an unprecedented youth mental health crisis and it is critical to think holistically about how to care for all youth. An important part of this is making sure that we are meeting youth and families where they are with services that feel approachable to them. This means thinking about prevention as well as clinical supports and services. In the realm of prevention this question to me is about how do we support kids before their concerns rise to the level of clinical need - there is now great data that supports the use of coaching for these needs, which is an incredible step forward for the field that Brightline really helped pioneer. And then of course providing high quality and evidence-based clinical services for those who need it. Having all these services available in one platform is also really important for ensuring that people have access to the right care over time as their needs evolve." Myra stewards Brightline's commitment to clinical quality, provider satisfaction, clinical research, overall care model development, and safe innovation for care services. Learn more about bringing Brightline to the families in your organization.  https://lnkd.in/g5VQGjPx #BrightMinds #YouthMentalHealth #ChildMentalHealth #SuicidePrevention

The growing crisis in youth mental health calls for urgent action. It's critical to provide support for children and young people wherever they are — whether in schools, communities, or online. Digital mental health services are transforming care delivery, breaking down barriers to access, and reducing the need for acute-care treatments. Now is the time to address health inequality directly and ensure mental healthcare reaches everyone, no matter their location or circumstances. This week, our Kooth and #Soluna teams are honored to share ideas and experiences at the United Nations General Assembly Science Summit 2024. We're excited to collaborate with global leaders to explore digital innovations and public-private partnerships that are paving the way for healthier, more inclusive communities. #mentalhealthforall #healthequality #UNGA #youthmental health

In early June 2024, CIHW released a research report, 'Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Mental Health in North Etobicoke'. Today, we proudly present the report’s Executive Summary to our community.   The ages of 18-25 are often foundational to the rest of a person’s life, and the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted mental health within this demographic. This mixed-methods research study was grounded in listening to youth voices and their experiences during the pandemic and provided recommendations for enhancing mental health and wellness support in North Etobicoke.   Participants found community agencies to be quite helpful and supportive, but thought they could place greater emphasis on building awareness of current programs and service offerings. Participants also expressed their need for specialized mental health support services without prohibitive costs and prolonged waitlists. This research study was made possible thanks to the invaluable support of United Way Greater Toronto, City of Toronto and the collaboration of our wonderful community partners: Albion Neighbourhood Services, Arts Etobicoke, Braeburn Neighbourhood Place, Delta Family Resource Centre, Rexdale Women's Centre, Rexdale Community Health Centre, Somali Women's and Children's Support Network, and Youth Without Shelter.   A special shout out to the CIHW team: Vanita Varma, PhD, Shannon Brown, Adriana Salvia, Harshal Bagha, Tega O., Pierina D'Amico, Andrea Parajeles Reyes and Angel Young!   #YouthEmpowerment #CommunityResearch #COVID19 #MentalHealth #HumberResearch #HealthAndWellness Humber College Humber’s Centres of Innovation Network Humber College - Faculty of Health Sciences & Wellness

This was such a great experience for me this past year. Read the findings of this study, below!

#Throwback to the transformative Shifting the Dial programme, an initiative that has significantly impacted the mental health and wellbeing of young Black men in Birmingham. This project reached over 500 participants through peer support, mentoring, and creative arts, empowering them to build resilience, confidence, and a sense of belonging. As we reflect during #BlackHistoryMonth, it’s crucial to recognise how systemic challenges like racism and discrimination affect mental health. Shifting the Dial proves that community-driven, culturally relevant support can help break down barriers and reduce the stigma around seeking help. Let’s continue to push for lasting change, advocating for targeted mental health support and tackling the inequalities that persist. Featuring: Kadra Abdinasir, CJ Lloyd Webley , Nathan Dennis, Joseph Marson, Yeshua Carter, Tias Hibbert & many more Find out more about this important initiative and read the independent evaluation (Link in comments) We are highlight the importance of Black men's mental health this #BlackHistoryMonth About Shifting the Dial: Shifting the Dial was a three-year programme aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of young Black men in Birmingham. Through peer-led support, mentoring, and creative activities, the initiative addresses mental health challenges by offering culturally relevant, community-focused interventions. It promotes resilience, self-belief, and belonging, helping young men combat the effects of racism, discrimination, and systemic inequality. The programme was a collaboration between ourselves First Class Foundation, Centre for Mental Health, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and Birmingham Repertory Theatre #BlackHistoryMonth #MentalHealthMatters #ShiftingTheDial #BlackMensMentalHealth #CommunitySupport #MentalHealthAwareness #BreakingTheStigma #EmpowerBlackMen #CulturallyRelevantCare

Request for Proposals: Funding Bold Ideas for Youth Mental Health in 12 countries Deadline 25 September 2024 We’re funding bold ideas for youth mental health and wellbeing in 12 countries: Colombia, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, Romania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Vietnam. At Transition to Scale (TTS), Being will support promising innovations that have achieved proof-of-concept or demonstrated initial positive results of the innovation and have significant potential to achieve sustainable impact at scale or as it reaches more people. Being seeks bold ideas that improve the mental health and wellbeing of the most underserved 10- to 24-year-olds in priority countries. There are different possible objectives for TTS funding based on the stage of development of the innovation: >>Generate evidence of impact needed for scale-up, and/or address gaps in existing evidence (e.g. through validation studies) >>Advance planning for scale and sustainability (develop or validate a viable plan, business model, etc.) >>Build organizational capacity needed to scale >>Grow and strengthen strategic partnerships, including diversified funding sources needed for scale, and/or smart partners towards a sustainable end game >>Begin scaling in new or expanded geographies, and/or with new partners Focus Areas Being seeks TTS innovations that: >>Focus on the prevention and promotion aspects of youth mental health >>Are age and stage appropriate, given the wide age range of the target population (i.e. 10 – 24 years) >>Aim to support and amplify the voices of young people >>Deliver mental health supports through youth-friendly, health and non-health mechanisms >>Meet people where they are by integrating mental health and/or wellbeing interventions into existing education or social care systems Funding Information: The goal is to support innovators to Transition to Scale through the ‘missing middle’ with funding offered between $300,000 CAD and $1,500,000 CAD over 12–48 months. Eligibility Criteria >>Eligible applicants include legally recognized organizations (e.g. social enterprises, nonprofit, for-profit, limited liability companies, research/academic institutions); >>Projects must be implemented in one of the 11 countries eligible for TTS funding (Colombia, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, Romania, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Vietnam. They are not accepting TTS applications for projects in Senegal at this time); https://lnkd.in/gfrqEjvd

Frugal innovations: as budgets get tighter and the need for thousands of community health workers becomes more pressing, this cascade mentorship plan, to tackle the mental health pandemic seems to be working! I am reminded of the 24x7 communication cell within the Ministry, set up during the COVID, where I would reach by nine am. Daily press conferences, news analysis, dissemination of critical behaviour change messages through WA groups, and advising for the next day's press conference was the regular work cycle. When media began to highlight the steadily rising numbers of mental health support needed for a gigantic population of millions, reeling under an unpredictable pandemic, we had to devise novel ways to support awareness programmes on mental health. #FinancialTimes in it's series on mental health highlights the 'frugal innovation' technique that may help recruit and encourage more young people and #civil societies to come forward and support community health.

Hafeezah Muhammad, CEO of Backpack Healthcare, is leveraging cultural currency with Fictive Ventures to revolutionize the children’s mental health industry. Did you know that 1 in 5 children experiences a mental health condition, yet over 50% of these young patients lack access to appropriate care? This transformative initiative isn’t just about improving access—it's about driving innovation and representation in an industry that desperately needs both. How do you think we can collectively close the care gap for young patients and foster a more inclusive system? Let’s spark a conversation. #MentalHealthMatters #InnovationInHealthcare #RepresentationMatters #ChildrensHealth #CulturalCurrency #BackpackHealthcare #FundingCulturalCurrency https://lnkd.in/gpEAVMQa