Local Voices, Global Impact: How Youth in Africa Destigmatize Mental Health

This International Youth Day, we celebrate the incredible role young people play in transforming their communities, and nowhere is this more evident than in the growing movement to destigmatize mental health. 

This year’s theme, “Local Youth Actions for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Beyond,” shines a spotlight on how young people are translating global goals into action at the local level. One of the most powerful examples of this are the adolescents who are stepping up to address one of the 17 SDGs: Good Health and Well-Being, by breaking the silence around depression and mental health. 

After completing StrongMinds therapy, many students share their knowledge with family, recognize the symptoms of depression in others, and offer support, even encouraging them to join therapy groups.  

For Beatrice, a student at the Mbale Boarding School for the Deaf in Uganda, therapy helped her cope with the challenges of a family that struggled to accept her deafness, ultimately helping her turn her life around. “When they found out I was deaf, they neglected me,” she explains. “Now [thanks to therapy] we communicate very well, and they even let me start teaching them sign language.” Beatrice now encourages her other classmates to see the value in therapy because she knows how much it meant to her.

Sailas, a teacher at another school in Mbale, talks about the shift in their community. At first, he says, the students and the other teachers were not open to the concept of depression. However, once StrongMinds began therapy groups at their school, everyone began to notice positive changes. “It really evolved a lot. Now they know it’s a normal thing.” He also shares, “They take other learners and friends as mental health cases.” 

What was once seen as taboo or misunderstood is now discussed openly in schoolyards, classrooms, and homes. Teachers report improved focus, attendance, and behavior among students who have received therapy, while parents see their children more engaged, hopeful, and connected. 

This is what localizing the SDGs looks like in action: young people recognizing a challenge in their own lives and communities, and then stepping up to create change—building a movement. 

At StrongMinds, we believe mental health is a human right. We applaud young people we treat who are amplifying messages around mental health and how it’s understood and treated.