Heal By Youth

Heal by Youth is built by youth, with youth, for youth, embedded in real life.

Young lives cannot waitfor crisis response.

1.5 billion

people under 25 will live in Africa by 2050

1 IN 7

Adolescents globally live with a mental disorder

14.2%

of young people surveyed across Cameroon, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire reported suicidal thoughts in the previous month

3rd

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds globally

Sources: WHO, Bluemind Foundation.

If women are the backbone of families, youth are the backbone of the future.

Young people taking part in a Heal by Youth programme.
Implementation on the way

Heal by Youth

Heal by Youth is a youth suicide and addiction prevention programme, by and for young people (12-25), combining peer-led support, structured group interventions, a 24/7 digital listening service, and large-scale stigma-breaking campaigns, online and offline.

  • Peer support, structured and supervised.
  • Group interventions designed for impact.
  • 24/7 digital listening service.
  • Large-scale stigma-reduction campaigns, online and offline.

Support youth mental health in Africa. Help prevent youth suicide and addiction before crisis begins.

Help save young lives

Three channels,one prevention logic.

Heal by Youth connects peer support, digital listening and public campaigns to reach young people before crisis - and connect them to care when risk emerges.

01

Supervised peer support

Youth groups led by trained and supervised peers in schools and communities.

  • 4 weekly sessions
  • Mandatory follow-ups
  • Escalation protocols
02

Listening & referral

A confidential call and chat service for 12-25 year-olds, with trained mentors and a psychologist available for crises.

  • Immediate response
  • Clinical supervision
  • Professional referral
03

Youth-led campaigns

Campaigns led by young people, content creators and peer voices to reduce stigma at scale.

  • Short videos
  • Social challenges
  • Anti-taboo language
Young people taking part in a Heal by Youth prevention action.

What the programme prevents

  • Youth suicide attempts
  • Youth addiction and high-risk behavior
  • School dropout linked to distress
  • Escalation of untreated trauma

What Heal by Youth measures

  1. 01

    Reductions in suicidal ideation and attempts

  2. 02

    Reductions in high-risk substance use

  3. 03

    Improvements in mental well-being using validated scales

  4. 04

    Access to and use of support services

  5. 05

    Satisfaction, engagement, cost-effectiveness and qualitative feedback

Index 2022 — Mental health of adolescents and young adults in Francophone Africa

Suicide and addiction are preventable when systems act early, locally and credibly. Heal by Youth is built by youth, with youth, for youth- embedded in real life.

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