This co-design process ensures that the digital intervention resonates with young people, making it more likely to be accepted and effectively utilized in promoting mental health. The California Department of Public Health, through the Public Health Institute’s Center for Wellness and Nutrition, has awarded $25 million to 28 community-based and tribal organizations as part of its Office of Health Equity’s Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative – Community Alliances for Local Impact (CYBHI CALI). In 2020, health information systems in nearly half of low-income countries did not have capacity to disaggregate mental health data by age. To make this happen, it is critical that system strengthening is supported by strong leadership and governance, solid coordination across sectors, sufficient financing, a skilled and diverse workforce, and robust health information systems. Every dollar invested in adolescent mental health yields an estimated US$24 return over 80 years.

Which populations are primarily targeted by these programs?

Each year, over 10 million children and young people have access to improved services, with more than 6 million reached through prevention efforts and at least 330,000 receiving care. To that end, WHO has partnered with UNICEF, governments, and local stakeholders to deliver a Joint Programme on Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing and Development of Children and Adolescents to strengthen country leadership and capacity to provide services for CYP and their caregivers. However, promising interventions include skills-building programmes for adolescents and for caregivers to promote responsible and safe engagement with social media; and technological tools to promote online safety, including reporting systems. In fact, when these interventions reach caregivers with mental health conditions, they could reduce the risk of mental health conditions in their children by 40%. National laws, policies and plans are also important to build systems for delivery of mental health preventative and care services.

Youth-Centered Mental Health Initiatives

Efforts focus on promoting social and emotional well-being, preventing behavioral health challenges, and providing equitable, appropriate, timely, and accessible services for emerging and existing BH needs for children and youth ages 0-25. In early 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced an additional 50 million dollars in planning grants to support the development, implementation, and expansion of school-based health services, with a concentration on mental health services (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2024). Care services should be provided through both health (general and community health services) and non-health settings, like schools and youth centres. WHO advocates for a comprehensive response to the mental health needs of children and young people, with a focus on strengthening policies and legislation; promoting enabling environments (in homes, schools, communities, workplaces and digital spaces) and building preventive and care services. Successful youth mental health programs are distinguished by their community involvement, accessibility, and evidence-based approaches.

Another social movement called Time To Change in the UK has been operating in community centers and schools since 2007. The team offers peer support as well as leisure and social activities such as outdoor activities, arts and crafts, drama, music, board games, bowling, cooking, athletics, etc. YWHO is an integrative (psychosocial, educational, medical, training, employment, and housing) government service in four centers that addresses the treatment gaps in the mental health system for users aged 12–25. This integrative service operates a youth center (the SPOT youth center) for adolescents and young adults aged 13–24, where a variety of essential facilities are provided (e.g., laundry, shower, kitchen, and computers).

• Engaging local stakeholders fosters trust, enhances resource sharing, and creates tailored programs that address specific community needs.
• By integrating mental health education into schools, these initiatives empower youth to seek help when needed.
• The program operates in 13 centers that provide psychosocial services for users aged 12–25.

Studies have indicated that adolescents’ unwillingness to receive professional help may be related to their fear of being stigmatized by Strengthening youth behavioral health workforce their peers (43–45). Allowing self-referral coincides with the personal recovery approach, where adolescents are encouraged to have agency and engage actively in their recovery (15, 18, 19). The program is funded by the Special Projects Fund of the National Insurance Institute, local authorities, and private funds. The Australian Headspace model (described above) inspired the opening of a Headspace program in Israel. An evaluation study conducted on the Jigsaw program with 2,420 participants (aged 12–25) who completed the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation questionnaires (CORE-10 and YP-CORE) reported a significant decrease in mental distress (27). The Jigsaw program was established in 2006 (called Headstrong until 2016) in the Republic of Ireland.

Focus Areas

As part of the program, adolescents and young adults participated in community activities (events and workshops) and created social media campaigns to raise mental health awareness. The SPOT also provides medical and social services, support calls, counseling, and referrals to various mental health professionals (see Table 2, Item 3). The team cooperates with various organizations for optimal support (schools and social services), and hosts concerts, skating and gaming events in the community (26). Leisure recovery programs offer adolescents social and leisure activities in the community, given their age-appropriate need for self-definition and socialization with peers.

The service is provided in 14 centers, in a youth environment that includes a common seating area, a pool table, music and arts activities, all designed to create a sense of belonging to the community. The Reeltime Music program has been operating since 1997 in the United Kingdom as a musical-social project where adolescents with MHC (aged 12–18) raise awareness of mental health issues by engaging in rehearsals, recordings, and performances at festivals. Another program in Australia is the Young People’s Outreach Program (YPOP), where peer support youth workers mentor and support users aged 17–25 in life skills such as housing, employment, and sustaining healthy activities and relationships (see Table 1, Item 2).