Led by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute in partnership with the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), the summit focused on youth-led frameworks
New York, United States and Cape Town, South Africa — A youth-led taskforce is driving key strategic priorities in mental health care identified during the annual Expert Gathering in Cape Town, South Africa on November 24 and 25.
At the two-day event, international collaborators — including young leaders, mental health experts, government representatives and policymakers, and NGOs — worked to identify new pathways for strengthening existing systems, building workforce capacity, and improving culturally responsive assessment tools across diverse communities.
The Expert Gathering was organized by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute in partnership with the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). Under the theme “Beyond the Table: Youth as Co-Creators in Change for Mental Health,” the gathering focused on workable evidence-based solutions to address child and adolescent mental health in South Africa and across the globe.
The SNF Global Center’s work across South Africa operates through its Child and Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI) South Africa, in partnership with SAMRC.
Attendees and panelists included representatives from South Africa’s National Department of Health and Department of Basic Education, CAMHI Greece, the Institute for Health Policy Studies (IEPS), and the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI). Additional participants included delegates from Stellenbosch University, the University of Cape Town, the Mozambique Ministry of Health, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the University of São Paulo, Brazil, Africa Institute of Mental and Brain Health (AFRIMEB), and United for Global Mental Health.
Giovanni Abrahão Salum, MD, PhD, senior vice president of Global Programs at the Child Mind Institute, emphasized the importance of expanding this model of authentic partnership to set a higher standard in the global mental health conversation, with youth shaping priorities.
“Our annual Expert Gatherings directly confront the persistent gaps in global youth mental health care,” said Dr. Salum. “The dialogue during the South Africa edition integrated new perspectives on structured collaboration pathways across sectors and refined our approach towards mapping a practical route for evidence-based solutions specifically on intervention points where coordination yields maximum impact.”
This systematic approach aims to transform theoretical commitments into actionable policies that honor diverse cultural contexts and youth voices. Members of the SNF Global Center Youth Council in South Africa were instrumental in developing the event and were prominent throughout. Additional youth participants came from Radio Workshop, and the South African Federation for Mental Health (SAFMH) Youth Forum.
Youth-led discussions — which featured speakers from the SNF Global Center Youth Council and the SAFMH Youth Forum — focused on young people’s leadership in action, best practices for intergenerational dialogue, the current mental health landscape in South Africa, and bridging cultural and scientific approaches to care.
Additional panels explored the critical role of strategic government investment in advancing mental health care, using communication and advocacy to reduce mental health stigma, and the nuances of building supportive networks and communities.
The South Africa Expert Gathering offers a crucial opportunity for building sustainable improvements in mental health care, while leveraging existing systems and maximizing resource efficiency. Complex mental health challenges continue to impact young people worldwide, and this collaborative approach, grounded in youth leadership, cultural responsiveness, and cross-sector partnership, provides a timely and adaptive blueprint for positive change.
“Mental health problems do not have a single, clearly defined cause. They are often the result of a complex interaction between genetic, biological, and environmental factors, which can make it difficult to plan prevention programs. When collaboration efforts are strengthened, it helps build on the capacity to create change, to make a significant impact.”” said Tendani Tsedu, MPhil, head of corporate and marketing communications at SAMRC.
The event culminated in targeted breakout sessions where participants focused on key takeaways and concrete action plans and formalized personal and institutional commitments for embedding authentic youth leadership into mental health initiatives. Through collaboration — with organizations, youth, and international experts who are already implementing successful approaches — it is possible to transform fragmented programs into components of a coherent ecosystem. The Expert Gathering brings new energy to existing mental health initiatives in South Africa and across the globe, strategically connecting efforts into a coordinated movement to amplify impact.
About the SNF Global Center at the Child Mind Institute
The SNF Global Center brings together the Child Mind Institute’s expertise as a leading independent nonprofit in children’s mental health and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)’s deep commitment to supporting collaborative projects to improve access to quality health care worldwide. The center is building partnerships to drive advances in under-researched areas of children and adolescents’ mental health, and expand access to culturally appropriate training, resources, and treatment in low- and middle-income countries. This work is conducted by the Child Mind Institute with support from SNF through its Global Health Initiative (GHI).
About the Child Mind Institute
The Child Mind Institute is dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders by giving them the help they need. We’ve become the leading independent nonprofit in children’s mental health by providing gold-standard, evidence-based care, delivering educational resources to millions of families each year, training educators in underserved communities, and developing tomorrow’s breakthrough treatments.
About the South African Medical Research Council
The SAMRC was established in 1969 and is dedicated to improving the health of people in South Africa, through research, innovation, development, and technology transfer. The scope of research includes laboratory investigations, clinical research, and public health studies. The includes research on South Africa’s quadruple burden of disease: maternal, newborn and child health, HIV/AIDS and TB, non-communicable diseases, and interpersonal violence.