New report highlights the cost of excluding youth in mental health decisions

In low- and middle-income countries, where most of the world’s youth live, one in seven adolescents faces mental health challenges that threaten their education, inclusion, and economic futures. Yet the systems intended to support them are rarely shaped by the youth themselves.  

Over the past two years, the Being Initiative has collaborated with a global Youth Advisory Group. The resulting guide highlights their lessons of partnering with young people.  A central insight from the report is that, while structural barriers such as capacity, operational constraints, and competing institutional priorities persist, it is both possible and necessary to find practical ways to integrate young people’s voices into complex initiatives.  

Research consistently shows that those closest to the challenges are best positioned to identify barriers and design effective solutions. Authentic youth engagement must go beyond one-off consultations or advisory roles. It requires a co-creation approach that integrates youth perspectives from design through to implementation and evaluation.  

“Current mental health systems are not designed with youth in mind,” says Melani O’Leary, Director of Partnerships at Grand Challenges Canada*. “For too long, young people have been sidelined in conversations about their own well-being. If we truly want to address the youth mental health crisis, we must empower them to lead and co-create solutions with us.”  

The Being Initiative is committed to reversing this trend by embedding youth leadership across every stage of its work. This new guide provides a practical roadmap for mental health funders seeking to do the same.  

This news item was originally published on the Grand Challenges Canada website 

*IAMHRF Member

**IAMHRF Partner