12 of August was designed International Youth Day by the UN General Assembly in 1999. According to UNESCO, “International Youth Day is an annual celebration of the role of young women and men as essential partners in change, as well as an opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges and hardships facing the world’s youth.”
The theme of this year International Youth Day will be ‘Youth and Mental Health’ under the slogan ‘Mental Health Matters’.
Youth with mental health conditions can often experience stigma and discrimination, which in turn can lead to exclusion and/or discourage people from seeking help for fear of being negatively ‘labelled’.
Efforts are needed to overcome this stigma to ensure that young people with mental health conditions can lead full and healthy lives free of isolation and unnecessary shame, and that they openly seek the services and support they need. You can be part of these efforts!
