Introducing the 2025 Hybrid Conference
Bridging Voices, Building Futures
Youth Innovation in Mental Health
Virtual Conference Day – 5th September 2025, hosted via Zoom
In-Person Conference Day – 6th September 2025, held in Nairobi, Kenya
Generation Mental Health's 2025 Conference shone a spotlight on the creativity, resilience, and leadership of young people in shaping the future of mental health. Under the theme Bridging Voices, Building Futures, the conference reflected a growing global movement that valued lived experience, centered inclusion, and advanced innovative approaches to healing and care.
For the first time, the gathering took place both virtually and in person in the Global South, with Kenya serving as the host country. This milestone opened the door for deeper cross-border connections, amplified underrepresented voices, and brought international attention to local innovations that are too often overlooked.
In a world where mental health challenges continued to grow, the conference called participants to listen, co-create, and act. It underscored the importance of building bridges across communities, cultures, and generations, grounded in empathy and led by youth.
Conference Sub-Themes
Healing in Color
Honored cultural, traditional, and spiritual systems of mental health practice, centering the wisdom of communities that have long relied on faith, family, and ancestral traditions to heal and thrive.
Connection Over Correction
Focused on shifting from systems of punishment and isolation toward care, community, and solidarity. It highlighted the role of social conditions in shaping mental health, particularly in marginalized groups.
Silent No More
Celebrated young people as powerful changemakers using art, storytelling, and activism. This theme recognized how creative expression and lived experience were breaking silences and driving tangible impact in mental health spaces.
Digital Innovation in Mental Health
Explored the rapid growth of teletherapy, mental health apps, and online communities that expanded access to care and helped reduce stigma. The discussions also addressed challenges such as privacy risks, misinformation, over-reliance on unregulated platforms, and the persistent digital divide.
Structural Change Beyond Awareness
Emphasized that awareness alone was not enough. The theme pushed for sustainable transformation through new policies, funding strategies, and community-led models that aimed to reshape mental health systems.
Agenda
September 5 - Online (all timing in EST)
8:00 - 8:15am
Opening Session
8:15 - 9:15am
Creative Session
This session highlights visual and art-based approaches, including visual representations of poverty and an interactive art-based digital wellness space.
9:30 - 10:30am
Oral presentation sessions (concurrent)
Three breakout rooms will highlight youth led insights, focusing on the themes of “Connection Over Correction”, “Digital Innovation in Mental Health” and “Structural Change Beyond Awareness”.
10:45 - 11:45am
Workshops (concurrent)
These interactive sessions focus on community approaches to healing, highlighting case studies and building participants capacity for integrating art, storytelling, ritual and games into their mental health work.
12:00 - 1:00pm
Symposia (concurrent)
These panel sessions will highlight how young people across contexts are mobilizing their lived experience to improve youth mental health. One session will highlight case studies of the use of participatory methods for articulating perspectives, while another elucidates the need for including the perspectives of young people with chronic illness in the design of mental health systems.
1:15 - 1:30pm
Closing Session
September 6 - Swiss-Belinn Hotel, Kandara Rd, Nairobi, Kenya (all timing in EAT)
9:00 - 9:40am
Opening Session
The conference team will welcome you to the day. The session features live musical and spoken word performances, and a grounding activity to start the day.
9:45 - 10:45am
Plenary Panel
This session kicks off the day with a discussion of current challenges in youth mental health, with a particular focus on the role that youth led research can have in moving the field forward. This session will highlight a soon to be announced research skills capacity building program led by GenMH! We can’t wait to tell you all about it!
11:00am - 12:00pm
Oral presentation sessions (concurrent)
Two breakout rooms will feature young people presenting their community based work under the themes of “Structural Change Beyond Awareness” and “Healing In Color/Silent No More”.
Poster session
Youth led initiatives will highlight their work and learnings at this poster session!
12:00 - 1:00pm
Lunch (included in your delegate ticket)
1:00 - 2:00pm
Mainstage Panel
Join CitiesRise and the Kenya Ministry of Health Division for Mental Health for a discussion on intergenerational collaboration for youth mental health in Kenya! Speakers will highlight the work of young people as agents of change and the real policy wins which can come from these collaborations.
2:15 - 4:15pm
Workshops and symposia
These sessions feature interactive opportunities to learn about outcomes based payment models for mental health, creating digital peer support spaces, and other insights on youth-led models for transforming mental health systems.
4:15 - 4:45pm
Afternoon tea and networking
Get a chance to meet other attendees and learn from one another.
4:45 - 5:15pm
Fireside chat and closing
The fireside chat will feature conference co-chair and youth leader, Jack Sedah in conversation with GenMH founder, Jackee Schess, to discuss insights from the day and commitments to action for youth mental health.
In Partnership with
We are proud to be partnering with Basic Needs Kenya for the 2025 conference!
