Youth Mental Health Steering Groups

It is estimated that more than 13 percent of adolescents aged 10–19 live with a diagnosed mental disorder as defined by the World  Health Organization. Covid 19 has exacerbated the existing mental health struggles faced by everyone, particularly young people,  across the world.

We propose the implementation of youth steering committees in which young people utilize their own lived experiences to shape mental health policies through co-production. Co-production is where professionals and young people work together to write policy proposals. Both professional contributions and lived experience are equally important in co-producing active support systems which can implement meaningful change.

This model of co-producing youth mental health services is well established in the city of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, to mention one current example. The youth mental health steering group Think 4 Brum provides young people with the support and encouragement to have their say, as well as offering training opportunities to further their personal development.