Improving care and access for youth mental health globally begins with understanding the problem. UNICEF’s On My Mind 2021 Report and separately, Drs. Howard Gardner’s and Wendy Fischman’s The Real World of College, underscored the mental health challenges young people are facing, amplified by the COVID19 pandemic.

In Planet Classroom’s new podcast, Mental Health Is On Our Minds, youth leaders from Global Youth Mobilization in Australia, Poland, and Kenya respond to the mental health research and discuss the strategies they are using to address well-being issues in their respective communities.

“Roughly 10 % of Polish youth under 18 are in need of complex psychological care and there are not enough specialists available to provide it,” says psychologist and scout leader Iga Miłosławska.

“One of the most important things about engaging young people in scouting is the strong feeling of belonging. It's a brotherhood, a sisterhood, and a reassuring presence that's committed to supporting others.”

“The importance of human interaction has become even more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic where the limitations on human interaction, and more specifically, increased isolation, has become a key challenge each and every one of us has faced,” notes Jayden Parsons, a young project manager leading the World of Wellbeing project in Australia. “One of the benefits of this experience has been the opportunity to innovate our practices and find new ways to support each other.”