Youth For Mental Health

YMH was present at AVPN South Asia Summit 2024 in Chennai, India ⭐️ Our CEO Hitesh Sanwal spoke through the panel curated by India Mental Health Alliance and hosted by Karan Malik, IMHA. The discussion focused on empowering youth mental well-being through collaborative funding and partnerships along with driving scalable and sustainable impact. We are grateful to IMHA and AVPN for having us at the conference and thankful to the co-panelists Priti Sridhar, Swarnlata Mahilkar and Vishal Chowla for sharing the space with us 🤍 [avpn, south asia summit 2024, empowering youth mental health, chennai, mental health conference]

From getting rejected for Masters to being a part of the course material of Masters 🤍 Much beyond my imagination - University of Glasgow has included me and Youth For Mental Health in their course material for a series of Undergraduate and Masters Courses offered by their Schools of Health, Well-Being and Medicine. A decade ago, due to my long battle with mental health issues, I could not secure a seat in regular Masters. After years of working in the field of mental health, I was invited by University of Glasgow to speak at their annual International Conference on Mental Health and record educational videos for their courses. It was such a humbling feeling to be there and be able to do this! Big thanks to Dr. Pattie and Dr. Ruchika for this incredible opportunity. So grateful ✨

Paid Awards, Financed Coverage, and the Rising Danger to Mental Health Advocacy Since I began my journey in mental health, I've received over 100 offers for "paid" awards and media coverage—everything from "Entrepreneur of the Year" to "Company of the Year." It seems like you can become "the best" if you’re willing to pay for it. Lately, I’ve noticed a troubling surge of these offers specifically in the mental health field. But why is this problematic? People pay for recognition in many industries, so why should this be any different? Imagine these scenarios: a young, vulnerable person signs up for therapy because their therapist has a "Therapist of the Year" title. Students apply for internships at the "Company of the Year." People trust "cutting-edge services" from "Innovation of the Year." While these recognitions might reflect quality, there’s also a chance they’re simply bought titles. This poses a real risk, especially in a field as sensitive as mental health, where trust is paramount. Recently, I saw a LinkedIn post from a mental health firm proudly showcasing a "won" award, from one of such companies, earning praise and admiration. But here’s the concern: when recognition is purchased rather than earned, it can create a false sense of credibility. Don’t get me wrong—awards and recognition aren’t inherently bad (I, too, have accepted genuinely earned ones). But in mental health, especially, recognition should be organic and reflect actual impact, not financial transactions. To all emerging mental health advocates: resist the lure of quick, paid accolades. Trust your journey, your work, and the impact you’re making. Authentic recognition will follow! And as you come across "award-winning" professionals or organizations, don’t base your impression solely on the accolades. Look deeper—judge them by the work they’re doing, not just by the titles they carry. P.S. Just wondering—when multiple folks buy these awards, how do they all end up with the singular title "Entrepreneur of the Year" instead of a more fitting plural? 🤔

Historic day at YMH ⭐ Our Founder and CEO Hitesh Sanwal has been officiated as the Chairperson of Youth Section at World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH). Founded in 1948, WFMH works in official relations with United Nations and WHO and has its presence across 100 Countries! They are widely known as the founders of World Mental Health Day which they launched in 1992. WFMH Youth Section aims to promote youth mental health and engage with young people across the globe to advocate for mental health, with key focus on young people with lived experiences and marginalized communities. We congratulate Hitesh for his appointment and can’t wait to witness his new initiatives at World Federation for Mental Health

It feels a bit early to say thanks as we continue to process all the emotions that came with organizing Confab 2024. A 100-day journey, 60 team members, over 100 incredible speakers, artists, and partners — and 500 of you! This experience has been filled with emotion for all of us. We are SO thankful to each and every one of you for being part of Confab 2024 and making it such a huge success! With your support, it felt like we weren’t a team of 60 but 600. We hope you had a great time at Confab as much as we did! Can’t wait to host you all again ❤

The World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), the founder of World Mental Health Day, and its Official Partner - Youth for Mental Health (YMH) invite you to be a part of the Global Volunteers Team of the WFMH Global Campaign 2024! WFMH Global Campaign 2024 which aims to recognize World Mental Health Day 2024 based on this year’s official theme, 'It's time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace'. As a Global Volunteer, you will be receiving: 🔖 Certificate of Global Volunteership by WFMH and YMH 🪑Participation opportunities in the Global Events of WMHD 2024 📙 Updates about the activities of WMHD 2024 📢 Engagement through Outreach Activities of the Global Campaign Know more and register at https://lnkd.in/gAf4c2SQ Last Date of Phase 1: 31st August 2024 Best, Team WFMH and YMH

The University of Glasgow, UK, recently invited our Founder and CEO, Hitesh Sanwal, to speak at their 5th International Mental Health Conference. He shared the stage with leading mental health experts Pattie Gonsalves and Gauri Divan from Sangath. Hitesh presented a session titled “Shaping the Future of Youth Mental Health: Lived Experiences as a Catalyst for Change.” The session was chaired by Bryony Dought from MQ Mental Health Research, UK who began the session with a tribute to the legacy of Lea Milligan. During his session, Hitesh shared the journey of building the Youth for Mental Health Foundation (YMH) and highlighted its innovative model of youth engagement, which intersects lived experiences, art, and psychology. He also spoke about the inspiring journeys of young people at YMH and our key collaborative projects with national and global partners. As part of this visit, Hitesh was also interviewed by the University of Glasgow, and a glimpse of this interview is featured in the last slide. This interview will become part of the course material for students at the university. We extend our gratitude to Ruchika Gajwani, Hellen Minnis, and all the amazing members of the organizing team at the University of Glasgow for hosting us at this significant event. We are also thankful to Sangath for their support and co-presentations at the conference. #SolvingMHcrisis_UOG2024

APPLY NOW❗️ METROPOLIS is a four year long research project implemented by King's College London, Sangath, Youth for Mental Health Foundation, OP Jindal Global University and Brighton & Sussex Medical School. As part of project METROPOLIS, a recruitment call has been announced for students interested in participating in an individual interview to offer feedback on mental health questionnaires for college students in Delhi. If this opportunity interests you, scan the given QR code or use the link given below to apply. Form Link: https://lnkd.in/g7n_UgZg For any queries, please write to [email protected]🌻

Greetings from Youth for Mental Health Foundation, METROPOLIS is a four year long research project implemented by King's College London, Sangath, Youth for Mental Health Foundation, OP Jindal Global University and Brighton & Sussex Medical School. We are excited to share with you all that as part of project METROPOLIS, a recruitment call has been announced for students interested in participating in an individual interview to offer feedback on mental health questionnaires for college students in Delhi. Please find attached the relevant information about the same, and if this opportunity interests you, scan the given QR code or use the link given below to apply latest by 5th July. Form Link: https://lnkd.in/g7n_UgZg In case you have any questions, please write to [email protected].🌻

We are thrilled to share that our Founder and CEO, Hitesh Sanwal, spoke at the 5th International Mental Health Conference organised by the University of Glasgow on the topic ‘Shaping the Future of Youth Mental Health: Lived Experiences as a Catalyst for Change’ We are incredibly proud of the work that he continues to deliver at such spaces!✨ Finally, thank you to all the delegates for making this a splendid experience🌻