Being Initiative

This week I had the absolute pleasure of attending the Being Global Gathering in Rabat, Morocco alongside Grand Challenges Canada/ Being Initiative innovators from around the world doing inspiring work on youth mental health. After almost 2 years of supporting innovators in Sub-Saharan Africa, as they deliver proof-of-concept youth mental health projects, it was incredibly special to meet in-person. The gathering included four jam-packed days of learning from changemakers and youth leaders. Some highlights included sessions on developing mental health ecosystems at micro and macro-levels, leveraging technology in mental health and advocacy for policy change and improved mental health literacy. Thank you to the Being Learning and Support Provider, Orygen, for organizing and facilitating this powerful event. Dream Sports Africa / Sentum / LIFAFA RESEARCH FOUNDATION / Contact Trust Youth Association / Mental 360 / Tamer Institute for Community Education / SameSame (SiyaFanaFana) / Schizophrenia Research Foundation (I) / Basic Needs Uganda / Women Friendly Initiative

?? And that's a wrap! What a truly magical 3 days at the Being Global Gathering in Rabat, Morocco! ?? Day 3 Highlights: ? Scribbler Exercise: Innocent Chansa, MPH (Contact Trust Youth Association) energized us with an art therapy exercise based in self-expression. ?? Ecosystem Discussions: Led by Sireesha J. Bobbili (Grand Challenges Canada), Carolina Bermudez Currea (Kindred Foundation), C?t?lina Popoviciu, Saad Uukkas, Jasmine Kalha, (Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy, ILS, Pune) Wilsen Widal Kho, Chikumbi Chambwe, Amisa Rashid (Nivishe Foundation) we dove into the challenges and opportunities for scaling youth mental health innovations. Innovators like Leena Chau from Simon Fraser University shared how local partnerships can help drive uptake of innovations like their app Vmood, which supports people in self-managing their depression in Vietnam. ?? Advocacy Workshop: James Sale (United for Global Mental Health) inspired us with practical tools to amplify impact. A standout moment? Learning about Taskeen's incredible advocacy in Pakistan to decriminalize suicide—a powerful example of advocacy in action. Through several engaging activities, including rock, paper, scissors and paper planes, attendees learned from each other's advocacy approaches. ?? M&E Workshop: Paula Yarrow (Waves for Change) spotlighted how qualitative tools like satisfaction surveys reveal insights beyond numbers, helping refine implementation. ?? Closing Address: Partners and innovators reflected on the event's magic together. Noor Azaiez (Association Interlinks, Tunisia) summarized it: "All the projects were inspiring, everyone was amazing. I'm looking forward to staying connected." This gathering was a powerful reminder of the impact of collaboration, learning, and youth leadership. ?? A huge thank you to Orygen, Fondation Mohammed VI des Sciences et de la Santé , all the incredible innovators, and Grand Challenges Canada for making it possible. Let's keep #BeingConnected as we continue this vital work! ?? Science for Africa Foundation Fondation Botnar NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada

Hoy, en Rabat - Marruecos, presenté la estrategia de recaudación de fondos de Reinserta En Reinserta, cada vez que conseguimos una subvención, una donación o una alianza estratégica, pensamos más allá de solo entregar una intervención. Nuestro objetivo es garantizar que lo que logramos con esos recursos se convierta en una parte duradera de uno de nuestros programas. Esta mirada no solo proporciona sostenibilidad en el tiempo, sino también que asegura nuestro enfoque en salud mental centrado en las personas que acompa?amos. Además, dado que todos nuestros programas están basados en la evidencia, cada intervención se somete a un proceso de seguimiento y evaluación. ??Nuestra estrategia de recaudación está basada en cinco pilares fundamentales: la obtención de subvenciones internacionales, los presupuestos de responsabilidad social corporativa, la organizacion de eventos de recaudación de fondos únicos e impactantes, el aprovechamiento del poder de las campa?as de crowdfunding digital, y las donaciones recurrentes. Esta combinación estratégica garantiza que podamos ofrecer productos duraderos y de alta calidad e impacto mientras mejoramos constantemente en procesos de profesionalización e institucionalización. BTW: no mis mejores fotos pero si de las que me hacen sentir muy afortunada de ser parte de esta gran fundación. ????? Being Initiative

Yesterday marked an inspiring Day Two of the Being Initiative Learning and Support Network Global Gathering! This event brings together mental health innovators from around the world to strengthen and promote youth mental health and wellbeing globally. On a personal note, waking up on the anniversary of my dad’s passing, I felt far from family and struggled to gear up for the day. But the morning yoga session led by Dream Sports Africa was exactly what I needed. It grounded us in the connection between physical and mental health, highlighting the strength we gain through community. A heartfelt thank you to Nagma Thakor from Sense International India for literally helping me stay balanced—it was a poignant reminder of the support we give and receive from each other. The day was packed with rich discussions, particularly on measuring individual mental health outcomes at scale—a critical topic for mental health innovation: Jonathan McKay SameSame (SiyaFanaFana) discussed the challenges of working the digital mental health world where you can't retain users in the same way you can for an in person program, creating challenges around the ability to gather long-term data and inform program improvements. Uttam Kumar (Sense International India) and Rand (Tamer Institute for Community Education) shared amazing experiences using observational measurement approaches to understand mental health outcomes among children/youth who have difficulties communicating such as persons with deafblindness or in conflict settings where current measurement approaches are challenging. Paula Yarrow (Waves for Change) emphasized the value of deep research on smaller samples, ensuring ethical and effective data collection while focusing on program improvement. She also reminded us of the challenges of self-reported emotions, especially among youth, and the importance of avoiding unethical or triggering approaches to data collection. Green String Network showcased culturally tailored tools to better measure emotions in diverse contexts. Key takeaways for funders supporting youth mental health initiatives: 1?? Support deeper research on small, representative samples of service users. 2?? Recognize the value of qualitative data. 3?? Provide funding and timelines that account for personnel needs in M&E and time for sharing findings beyond donor reports. It’s incredible to see the collective commitment to ethical, context-appropriate, and impactful youth mental health outcomes. These conversations are laying the groundwork for transformative change. Grand Challenges Canada Orygen United for Global Mental Health Fondation Botnar Science for Africa Foundation Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada #YouthMentalHealth #GlobalMentalHealth #Innovation #MentalHealthOutcomes #BeingInitiative

Recapping Day 2 at the Being Initiative Learning Network Global Gathering in Rabat. We spent some time discussing the role of schools and public education in supporting positive youth mental health outcomes: ?? Young people need safe "third spaces". Molebogeng Mangoale shared that too often, home and even school can be threatening environments. Tamer Institute for Community Education and Waves for Change are just 2 examples of organizations doing this well. Tamer has established a mental health ER network within community libraries, and Waves for Change through it’s flagship surf therapy program. Check them out!! ?? There is a big emphasis on the importance of engaging parents and caregivers in youth mental health programs. But, it can be challenging and costly to do in practice. ?? Meaningfully including young people can catalyze sustainability. Bright Shitemi and Florence Adong shared that when students nominate teachers to be mental health school club patrons, teachers feel honoured and motivated to continue endorsing these initiatives. Basic Needs Uganda has seen that when youth advocates join district-level program review meetings, they're successfully catalyzing government buy-in for the program by emphasizing the importance of protecting extracurricular time in schools for mental health clubs. ?? Supporting the mental wellbeing and self-care of those responsible for providing mental health support to young people is critical. A big thank you to the Dream Sports Africa team for leading us through morning yoga, and to our wonderful hosts at the Children's Autism Collective for the afternoon tour. Heading into our final day together and there’s loads on the agenda!?

Lifafa Research Foundation was honored to have the opportunity to share their thoughts through her CEO Lifafa Kange on how digital tools can be used to amplify awareness, improve service accessibility, engage with youths and support fund raising efforts.

Thank you Being Initiative Grand Challenges Canada for the opportunity to participate in Global Gathering and convey the message on importance of inclusion of persons with disabilities in mental health programms. Nagma Pandya Sense International India

Day 1 at the Being Learning Network Global Gathering in Rabat, Morocco! We had the opportunity to hear from the Being keynote panel, diving deep into their investment in youth mental health and exploring the exciting opportunities and challenges from global experiences. ??? Our team Bright Shitemi and Tiffany Jasmine are thrilled to be part of the ‘Being Connected: Global Collaboration for Youth Mental Health’ forum, where we are joining global innovators to explore how we can collectively improve youth mental health. From interactive table-top presentations to facilitated discussions on key topics like leveraging technology, measuring outcomes, and youth participation, this event is shaping up to be a game-changer for the future of mental health programs. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to connect, learn, and collaborate with incredible minds from around the world! Grand Challenges Canada Being Initiative Fondation Botnar NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Science for Africa Foundation United for Global Mental Health #youthmentalhealth #globalcollaboration #mentalhealthinnovation #connectingforchange #conversationssavelives #mental360kenya

?? Day 2 Highlights from the Being Global Gathering! ?? We began with a refreshing ????♀? yoga energizer led by Dream Sports Africa before diving into a day filled with impactful discussions, practical insights, and on-the-ground inspiration. Here's what stood out: ?? Parallel Discussions on: Social Media & Technology for Youth Mental Health ?? Lifafa Kange from LIFAFA RESEARCH FOUNDATION and Tiffany Mwathi from Mental 360 explored how digital tools amplify awareness, improve service accessibility, engage youth participants, and support fundraising efforts. Schools Driving Mental Health Outcomes ?? Florence Adong from BasicNeeds Uganda emphasized self-care for mental health providers. She shared successful approaches to engaging young people in district-level government advocacy. ?? Fundraising Workshop featuring: Reinserta: Ana Echeverri, Ximena Palacios, and SANDRA IZQUIERDO highlighted innovative strategies like fundraising events, crowdfunding, and digital campaigns as key to success. SameSame (SiyaFanaFana): Jonathan McKay stressed the importance of diversifying funding, building an online presence, and leveraging storytelling. He shared insights on working with accelerators, being transparent about support needs, and fostering collaboration with funders. Women Friendly Initiative: Modupe Owolabi offered tips for proposal development, stressing early preparation, meticulous RFP reviews, and aligning proposals with funder priorities to maximize success. IFMSA-Morocco: A student organization emphasized engaging donors early to understand their priorities, ensuring alignment before pitching. ??♀? Site Visits: InspireCorps (featuring Jihad Bnimoussa): Since 2019, they have been tackling stigma through youth development. They run creative workshops like mandala art for anxiety, train teachers in 3,000+ schools, and create tools like the Periodic Table of Emotions. We ended with a fun activity designing mental health solutions—and we won Moroccan sweets! ?? Collectif Autisme Maroc: This national network of parent associations offers lifelong support for youth on the autism spectrum through specialized education, early intervention, therapy, IT training, and life skills programs. Ar-razi Psychiatric Hospital: This outpatient facility, led by medical residents and a psychiatrist, treats youth under 18 with conditions such as autism, ADHD, and anxiety. Schools are critical in referrals, while the hospital supports families facing stigma and socio-economic barriers. We're excited for Day 3! ?? #BeingConnected Orygen Grand Challenges Canada Fondation Botnar United for Global Mental Health Science for Africa Foundation NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada