Summary Report
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HEALTHY MINDS, HEALTHY FUTURES SUMMARY REPORT Too many children and young people, rich and poor alike, in all four corners “of the world are experiencing mental ill “ health as we have never seen before. This is the silent emergency of our times. It has no borders and requires urgent attention. Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF Leading Minds 2019 7–9 November 2019 UNICEF Office of Research-Innocenti, Florence, Italy leading-minds.co Cover photo: Dr Vikram Patel gives a keynote address. “Mental health in the global context has been the orphan child of global health, and children’s mental health has been the orphan child of global mental health.” SUMMARY REPORT MENTAL HEALTH THE SILENT EMERGENCY FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE1 As recently as two decades ago, very few childhood experiences and social and environ- people, even in the health profession, would mental influences — are strong contributors to ever have imagined that mental health would many mental disorders among the young. These be considered as a global development prior- may include stressful academic environments, ity. The first Global Burden of Disease report, family stressors, bullying, violence and abuse, issued in 1990, changed this when it stated that loneliness and isolation. depression, alcohol use, disorders and psycho- ses were among the leading causes of the In surveys, young people across the world often global burden of disease among adolescents express a sense of hopelessness in relation and young people.2 Today, mental disorders to structural determinants such as growing and substance abuse are the leading causes of inequalities, rising hate and intolerance and an disability3 in children and young people. This is existential threat of climate change and environ- especially true for the latter cohort. mental hazards, conflict and fragility, pervasive poverty and uncertain future employment pros- Suicide is estimated to be the second leading pects. Many parents, policymakers and others cause of mortality4 among young people aged are concerned about the impact of children’s 15-24 years, and the top cause for young access to information and communications women in this age cohort. Other important technologies on their mental health. causes, including interpersonal violence and road injuries, also have strong correlation with Perhaps most of important of all is that young poor mental health and substance abuse. people care deeply about their own mental health, and that of their peers and friends. Their Most disturbingly, some of these indicators lived experiences, past and present, must form 5 are showing dramatic worsening in the recent the basis of strengthened efforts to promote times in countries with available trend data. In healthy young minds in the 21st century. Too three high-income countries with high quality often, their voices have not be heard, or listened longitudinal data — Australia, United Kingdom to only in a token manner, and they are no longer and United States — youth suicide has risen by willing to accept this. Furthermore, they are as much as 50 per cent in the past decade. already often heavily engaged in programming on mental health, both online and offline, and The causes of mental disorders are not yet fully are requesting that other stakeholders work with understood. But academics and practitioners them to co-create solutions and breakthroughs. tend to agree that two broad factors — adverse MENTAL HEALTH 3 SUMMARY REPORT LEADING MINDS 2019 On 7−9 November 2019 UNICEF convened its Leading Minds 2019 was co-hosted with the inaugural Leading Minds conference, taking the World Health Organization (WHO) and the pressing issue of mental health of children and Government of Italy, and brought together a young people as its theme. The purpose of the diverse array of stakeholders from academia, annual Leading Minds conference series is to youth leaders, foundations, government offi- bring attention to a theme pertinent to the pres- cials, UN agencies and civil society to discuss ent and future wellbeing of the world’s children key challenges and opportunities on the confer- and young people by convening some of the ence theme and explore pathways to change world’s leading minds to examine available evi- the course. dence and solutions and contribute to acceler- ating progress on solutions and breakthroughs. The philosophy of the Leading Minds conference series is based on five principles: CONNECT Dialogue begins with connection Participants connect by name not title or hierarchy, in an atmosphere that foster conversation, camaraderie and intergenerational dialogue leading to a virtuous circle of trust and openness. ACT LISTEN Action is the litmus test Understanding needs listening of the power of convening Participants listen to each other, to Participants all come together lived experience, expertise, theory in a final session to share the and practice. It takes diverse pathways they have identified CONVENE forms — speeches, first hand and articulate key next steps to accounts, panels , audio-visual change the game. materials and remote links. DISCUSS SHARE A prerequisite for decision making Sharing is the counterpart of listening Youth leaders, knowledge brokers, Participants share their expertise, practitioners and investors/donors experience, experience and opinion discuss in these groups what they in diverse forums — breakout have heard and shared, and outline sessions, espresso presentations, potential pathways forward. conversations in real social spaces and online. MENTAL HEALTH 4 OBJECTIVES FORMAT Convene partners and catalyze actions to Leading Minds 2019 utilized diverse formats promote positive mental health for children to enact its foundational principles and meet and young people. its objectives. These included morning plenary sessions; a keynote address and moderated Agree on strategic pathways to promote panel discussions; afternoon breakout group mental health, based on sound research and espresso presentations and discussion; Q&A; evidence. and informal and bilateral talks during interludes of breaks and lunch. Identify key issues to inform global policy and strategic advocacy positions and During the conference, the participants programming. connected with each other, listened and learned from experts and lived experience, shared Elevate mental health for children and young their interventions and solutions and discussed people within the international system as a lessons learned and what works. Finally, they key priority area in the 2020s. collaborated within peer groups to decide Strengthen existing or leverage new shared on their actions, what they asked of other value partnerships on mental health for peer groups and what they could offer and children and young people. then begin to outline an agenda for action to accelerate progress. Annexes 1 and 2 cover the Youth leaders taking the leading role in Conference Programme and List of Participants, conference, co-curating from inception describing the sessions, participants and to completion, and co-creating sessions, facilitators. outcomes and actions with other Leading Minds stakeholders. 55 Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF, and Yelzhan Birtanov, Minister of Health, bring together leading minds to address the challenge of youth mental health. Young people hold the pen KEY DATA ON ADOLESCENTS AND MENTAL HEALTH Up to 20% of adolescents (aged 15–19) years globally experience mental disorders. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents (aged 15–19) worldwide. Around 15% of adolescents in low- and middle-income countries have considered suicide.6 Today, globally, mental and substance abuse disorders are the leading cause of disability in children and young people.7 Youth suicide rates rose 56% in a decade in the US. 66 Youth leader Victor Ugo facilitates a group discussion. SUMMARY REPORT CONNECT Leading Minds 2019 began with a warm Tuscan The participants expressed a strong apprecia- welcome of laughter, music, dinner and an infor- tion for having the space to connect before the mal chat hosted by Henrietta H. Fore, Executive conference formalities began. Director, UNICEF. The evening — co-moderated by youth leaders Chantelle Boysen, from South A key feature of Leading Minds 2019 was the Africa, and Margianta Subrahmanian Juhanda, connections made at this opening session and from Indonesia — enabled participants to throughout the conference and beyond. By connect as peers from the outset without the connecting first as peers, and by having youth formalities of rank and position; participants lead, the tone of the conference became one of were simply addressed by their first name. shared experiences and co-creation. Youth lead- ers had the opportunity to connect with other This set the tone of the conference as a meeting stakeholders and with each other. in which the connections made between the participants were of paramount importance, both during and after the meeting, and in which everyone’s voice was heard. MENTAL HEALTH 77 Participants take a selfie at the Tuscan welcome to Leading Minds 2019. SUMMARY REPORT LISTEN SESSION I: CHANGING THE SESSION III: STATE OF THE GAME | WHAT IT WILL TAKE SCIENCE AND PRACTICE The first formal opening session, entitled The plenary session on the State of the Science Changing the Game: What it Will Take, embod- and Practice looked at the latest evidence on ied the listen principle. Opening remarks brain health in the earliest years of life, begin- were provided by principals of the