These youth-led mental health solutions are making a difference worldwide

Most of the one in seven young people aged 10-19 worldwide who experience mental health problems — predominantly anxiety and depression — are unable to access support services or treatment.

The majority of mental health challenges begin in adolescence, but the lack of support for young people extends those mental health challenges into adulthood. This feeds the growing social and personal consequences of adult mental health problems, which costs the global economy £1 trillion every year.

Too often, young people are told that the cause of the problem is simple. That they are playing too many computer games; they are the victims of smartphones and social media; or they are too sensitive and not as resilient or tough as previous generations.

This over-simplification of the complex web of factors that influence our mental health sells books and fills media space — but it does not reflect the global reality or move us to effective solutions.

Of the 168 million young people experiencing mental health challenges, almost 90% live in low and middle-income countries. Personal stressors, bullying, social isolation, navigating social media and external events like climate change, poverty, globalization, conflict and violence are all pressures on our mental health — both individually and collectively, and disproportionately impacting young people.

Despite the need for investment, the World Health Organization reports that mental health comprises only about 2% of global health funding, and just 0.5% of philanthropic health funding.

The challenge to investors and policymakers is to back evidence backed solutions that work, especially those informed and led by young people themselves.

These solutions should focus on reducing areas of harm risk factors, like reducing the harms of social media, improving relationships and addressing wider social challenges like gender-based violence. Supporting protective factors like mental health literacy, strengthening belonging, peer support or making mental health support directly available, especially community-based support, is also essential.

Today, Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation has shown how it is responding to these needs of young people around the world. With the allocation of $3 million to fund 65 youth-centered projects across ten countries through its Kindness in Community Fund, this year the grant programme is expanding beyond the US for the first time. The Kindness in Community Fund is prioritizing funding youth-led programmes and will support over 75,000 people around the world.

Below are just a few examples of the work already underway.

Voices of Hope shares powerful lived experience journeys of people who have navigated mental health challenges to create positive change and better understanding through storytelling. This promotes help-seeking behaviours, provides access to useful resources and spreads hope.

Little Lions trains and supports local role models aged 18-25 from under-resourced communities as mental health coaches to deliver a programme building an understanding of mental wellbeing and resilience among younger children in their communities ages 8-12.

Mapa de acholhimento is a digital network helping women aged 18-29 to break the cycle of gender-based violence and regain autonomy, by providing access to public services or volunteer psychologists and lawyers.

Stronger Brother Stronger Sister is a First Nations-led mentoring, shared and individual support group that provides First Nations children and youth a culturally safe and welcoming space to explore their heritage and foster their social and emotional wellbeing.

Sati App’s volunteers listen and provide support via an app for 20-35-year-olds that promotes peer support, builds understanding of psychological first aid and directs users to clinical support as needed.

Half the Story is an evidence-informed, school-based intervention co-designed with teens to empower young people to understand and work toward digital wellness by promoting emotional regulation skills and mindful digital habits.

Sister System offers holistic support through the journey into early adulthood for girls affected by care. Alongside these girls, Sister Systems works to enable a life free from abuse and ensure they have the same opportunities everyone else has — at home, school, work and within their communities.

This funding was made possible through a product partnership with the Cotton On Foundation where 100% of proceeds from products designed by the collaboration were donated to youth mental health solutions. Young people across the ten countries were invited to nominate local organizations making a difference in their communities, and those selected met the criteria of being youth-focused, rooted in equity and inclusion and providing accessible resources to their communities.

This is the kind of action that is needed to address the diverse needs of young people and support their mental health. It is one of the largest global efforts to raise and disburse funding globally for solutions that work.

Young people were involved in every stage of the process, from recommendations of organizations to the final selections, supported by mental health advisory firm Prospira Global to facilitate this new global partnership.

Young people understand the complex factors that influence their mental health better than anyone else. By listening to them and backing the solutions they develop, we can make progress on youth mental health worldwide.