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Y!Participate Youth Expert Advisors Nadia, Sharon and Seluleko explore the challenges and stressors currently impacting youth mental health, and strategies for creating open dialogues that amplify young voices. As we navigate an increasingly complex world, the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people has become an urgent issue.  Current statistics show that about one in seven (14%) of adolescents aged 10-19 globally experience a mental disorder. Among adolescents, depression and anxiety rank as leading causes of illness and disability, with suicidecurrently the third leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 29​. ​According to WHO, “The consequences of failing to address adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood, impairing both physical and mental health and limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults.” But these statistics only tell part of the story. Though young people possess valuable insights that can inform more effective mental health support systems and interventions tailored to their needs and unique experiences, their perspectives are often overlooked in conversations led predominantly by older generations. With the help of Y!Participate Youth Expert Advisors Nadia, Sharon and Seluleko, this blog explores the various challenges currently impacting youth mental health, the stressors that contribute to these issues, and strategies for creating open dialogues that amplify young voices. What are some of the challenges young people currently face in relation to their mental health and wellbeing? Sharon Young people today face a multitude of challenges that significantly impact their mental health and overall well-being. These challenges can be categorised into external and internal factors. External issues often stem from societal pressures, including peer influence and family dynamics, which can create an environment of stress and anxiety. Simultaneously, many young individuals grapple with internal struggles, such as the relentless pursuit of perfection and self-expectation. This complex interplay between external and internal pressures highlights the need for increased awareness and support for mental health among youth, emphasizing the importance of fostering resilience and open dialogue about these issues.  Moreover, with the presence of social media, the world feels like it exists without borders. For example, we often find ourselves comparing our achievements to those of others who have posted on their social media accounts. We don’t realise that social media is curated to showcase only what users wish to present—their successes and happiness. What about the processes and failures behind those highlights? Everyone has their own starting points and experiences low phases in their lives, so it is better for us not to compare ourselves with what is displayed on social media. What are some of the stressors youth are dealing with? Seluleko According to the youth, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, poverty is the chief stressor that ultimately births all the other stressors. Youth unemployment, poor access to quality and comprehensive education, and shortage of comprehensive healthcare are further cited in this regard. Ultimately, other encounters that we have with stressful situations such bereavement, finding a job after graduation, academic pressure, bullying, body image with the advent of social media, family dynamics and violence  among others, eventually lead to poor mental health. These are the situational stressors that often impede our ability to navigate through life (and even its very smallest challenges) as a result of a lack of resilience. Nadia Young people deal with a multitude of stressors. These stressors are both internal and external. Externally, they deal with stressors from all things around them – mostly the environment and the people. Internally, these stressors stem from their individual navigations through life as young people – mostly from the challenges they face and the choices they have made, are making, and need to make. The stressors that come externally from the environment and people mostly stem from societal expectations. These expectations vary from one society to another depending on so many factors – mostly cultural, economical, and social. Internally, these stressors are underlyingly influenced by the external stressors. All in all, most of these stressors, both internal and external, are cross-cutting and are a result of a variety of factors. How can some of these challenges be addressed? Nadia There are various approaches that can be implemented to address the challenges that young people face as stressors. These approaches include open dialogues, creation of safe spaces, more awareness on the importance of mental health and how young people can take care of their mental health and on a higher level, Institutionalizing counseling services for young people.  These approaches must all be created and established with all factors considered, more importantly – they must be contextualized depending on the context in which they are to come into existence in. It is essential to involve young people in the process to better establish approaches that will serve the interests of young people and address their challenges.  How do you perceive the situation regarding youth mental health in your country? Seluleko In Eswatini, strides – though minimal – have been made to support youth mental health initiatives for improved well-being. However, all efforts by the government and development partners in civil society have so far been rendered fruitless. The rippling impact of poor mental health among young people is evident in the ever-growing suicide rates, unintended pregnancy and non-clinical abortion rates and continued imprisonment of young men and boys for perpetuating gender violence, among other factors. With the tremendous lack of  economic, social and mental health empowerment strategies that are tailored by youth for youth, with guidance from field experts, it can be deduced that Eswatini is still a long way from attaining an  ‘adequate support’ status towards youth mental health.  Are young voices being heard in the discussion around mental health? Sharon As youth, our voices are increasingly recognized in discussions around mental health, reflecting a growing awareness of the unique challenges we face. However, it often feels like our participation can be superficial, especially in settings dominated by older stakeholders. In these instances, we may be invited to share our perspectives, but the outcomes often prioritize the established viewpoints

We asked the Y!Participate Youth Expert Advisors what tokenism means to them, how it impacts meaningful youth participation and how we can work towards changing the trend. We’ve all heard the word ‘tokenism’ thrown around – often in relation to media representations of individuals from underrepresented communities in an attempt to display diversity. We see it in advertising campaigns, hear of it popping up in the workplace and watch it play out at high level international events. The Oxford dictionary describes it as ‘the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing’. But what does tokenism look like when it comes to youth participation? Even among well-intentioned entities, tokenistic involvement of young people is common. Not only does this lead to untapped potential, it can also be incredibly disheartening and demotivating for youth advocates. We asked the Y!Participate Youth Expert Advisors what tokenism means to them, how it impacts meaningful youth participation and how we can work towards changing the trend. What is tokenism and what does it mean to you as a young person? From previous encounters, I’d describe tokenism as the symbolic act to include members of underrepresented groups to give the appearance of equality or inclusivity. This can occur in various contexts, such as workplaces, media, or political institutions. Basically, it is a make-believe smokescreen to inclusion and participation in decision-making processes without giving people real influence or power. The way I see it, tokenism in youth participation is a gross contravention of the concept known as youth mainstreaming in action. Youth mainstreaming enables young people and adults to benefit equally from, and contribute equally to development outcomes, promoting social and intergenerational equity and youth empowerment. Once tokenism takes place, a significant displacement of these pillars of youth inclusion occurs. To me this means there can never be meaningful youth participation and youth issues cannot be sufficiently addressed. Seluleko Celucolo Simelane When do you see it happening? Tokenism occurs in various kinds of activities. It could be at the workplace, media, political agenda, educational institutions, even the activism itself. One of the biggest traits of tokenism is a “representation” of marginalized or underrepresented people without providing adequate access or support to ensure the integration. For instance, a group of marginalized communities is invited to attend a “conference”, but they are only included to enhance the image of the conference without valuing their contributions authentically. Sharon Sitania What is the impact of tokenism on youth participation? One major impact of tokenism on youth participation is that it undermines the potential contributions of young people and deters the vitality of youth perspectives in decision-making, fostering a lack of trust in the decision-making process. Genuine youth participation, by contrast, involves respecting our views, providing meaningful opportunities for involvement, and ensuring our contributions can influence development outcomes. Where tokenism thrives, poor feedback mechanisms and overall communication between youth and engaging entities will be at large. Seluleko Celucolo Simelane How has tokenism impacted your work as a youth advocate? In the space of youth advocacy, tokenism is almost hard to miss. Its presence is evident in most platforms of youth engagement and participation. There are instances where tokenism promotes ingenuity and hypocrisy. This usually happens when nepotism comes into play – organizations or the government can label certain young people as champion youth advocates when these individuals have nothing to show for it. With no proven track record of impact, tokenism through nepotism elevates ingenuity. The level of ingenuity sometimes can be more hypocritical – young people may claim to advocate for change but do not take the initiative, nor embody or demonstrate the change they wish to see. In the youth space, the impacts of the above extend to the point where genuine young advocates do not get the recognition they deserve, hence resulting in missed opportunities which then leads to hindrance of meaningful impact. Genuine young advocates, although driven by passion and courage, can be subject to tokenism causing an hindrance or delay in the impact of their pursuits. Nadia Kun How can we tackle it and change the trend? The first step to tackling tokenism is to acknowledge its existence. Organizations, institutions, and individuals must recognize when tokenism occurs and be willing to address it openly. This involves raising awareness about what tokenism is and its negative impacts. Educational workshops, seminars, and training sessions can help foster understanding. Additionally, organizations should encourage self-reflection, prompting a critical examination of their practices to identify areas where tokenism might be present. Internal audits, surveys, and feedback from youth participants can facilitate this process. Creating genuine opportunities for young people to contribute is also crucial. This means going beyond symbolic gestures and ensuring that youth participation is impactful. Organizations should involve young people in decision-making processes, ensuring their input is seriously considered and acted upon. Establishing youth advisory boards can provide a platform for young people to offer input on policies and initiatives, granting them real influence. Supporting youth-led initiatives by providing resources, mentorship, and access to networks further empowers young people to take an active role. Alex Lew Wenjie

Navigating the world of youth engagement can feel overwhelming. There are countless resources, tools, and approaches available, but how do you know which ones are right for your specific needs? Are you ready to transform the way you engage with young people? We’re thrilled to announce that Y!Participate, a new global initiative focused on enhancing the way we work with young people on issues related to their mental health and wellbeing, is developing an exciting new resource: ‘Recipes for Participation.’  We know there’s a wealth of resources out there, but finding the right ones can be overwhelming. That’s why we’re doing the hard work for you. We are not looking to reinvent the wheel, rather we will be building upon existing knowledge, tools and resources for working with young people within and beyond the mental health community. We will then transform these resources into step-by-step guides tailored to specific scenarios. From working with young people in research to policy advocacy and everything in between, our recipes will cover the entire engagement process, ensuring you have the right ingredients for success.  What can you expect?  Clear, step-by-step guides for every stage of the engagement process  Guidance tailored to specific scenarios, like research, advocacy, and program development  User-friendly tools and resources sourced from both within and outside the mental health sector We need your help!  We want this toolkit to be a true reflection of the best practices out there. If you have a favourite youth engagement tool, resource, or strategy, we want to hear about it! Submit your suggestions by 19th of July using our online form: https://forms.gle/Tgu2raxuiGzh2bPT7.   Your contributions will help us create a more comprehensive and impactful toolkit for the benefit of young people around the world. Click below to learn more about the Y!Participate Initiative: Y!Participate – Informed actions, meaningful connections – The MHPSS Collaborative  

An insight into the process of designing a logo with youth, not for them.   As the Y!Participate Project slowly begins to take shape, we want share the process with you – starting off with the creation of a unique logo. Have you ever wondered how a logo comes to life? It’s not just a random doodle; it’s a visual story, a symbol that carries the essence of an entire initiative. We’re pulling back the curtain on the creative process behind the Y!Participate logo – a design that’s as vibrant and dynamic as the youth it represents.  Y!Participate was created because meaningful youth participation within mental health is often overshadowed by challenges such as limited access to engagement platforms, inadequate resources and lack of opportunities for skill development. These barriers hinder young people from making effective contributions, leaving their unique perspectives and innovative solutions untapped in initiatives related to their wellbeing. Our design journey began with a simple idea that was in line with our mission to enhance meaningful participation among young advocates on issues related to their wellbeing. To capture this, we wanted a logo that conveyed harmony, youthfulness, growth and inclusivity – all key characteristics of meaningful participation.  A circle – the universal symbol of wholeness and connection – is accompanied by a playful smile, symbolising the joy and satisfaction that comes from effective collaboration. Within the circle are the initials ‘Y!P’ arranged to form the heart of the logo. The ‘P’ morphs into a thought bubble, representing the power of youth perspectives. Within the negative space, an exclamation mark emerges between the ‘Y’ and the ‘P’, further emphasizing the importance of youth involvement.  The colour palette of blue, pink and pastel orange evokes the calmness and hope of a sunset – a metaphor for how we want young people to feel when they are meaningfully involved in matters related to them. We believe in designing with youth, not just for them. We invited our youth expert advisors (YEAs) to join us in a brainstorming workshop that fuelled the entire creative process. Their insights, energy, and vision shaped every element of the logo, from the core icons to the colour choices.  Through collaborative exercises and discussions, we tapped into the YEAs’ perspectives, capturing their hopes, dreams and aspirations for the initiative. This was followed by the development of draft interpretations and a voting process resulting in a logo that truly reflects the spirit of Y!Participate.  The Y!Participate logo is a visual story of collaboration, empowerment, and the unwavering belief in the potential of young people to shape their own wellbeing. Keep an eye out for more exciting developments!