A Shared Vision for Children and Young People: Advancing Partnership and Impact at SNF Nostos 2026

Throughout the SNF Nostos 2026 week, the Child Mind Institute and the SNF Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health will contribute to conversations examining how youth mental health intersects with some of today’s most pressing challenges, including education, technology, equity, and workforce development. These discussions will bring together diverse perspectives united by a shared belief that meaningful progress requires collaboration across disciplines, sectors, and borders.

During the panel, “SNF’s Global Health Initiative (GHI): Focus on Mental Health”, SNF co-president Andreas Dracopoulos will join founding president and medical director of the Child Mind Institute, Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, senior vice president of Global Programs Giovanni Abrahão Salum, MD, PhD, and other international experts to explore how sustainable support for mental health can strengthen communities and improve outcomes for children and young people worldwide. The discussion will highlight approaches that are locally led, evidence-based, and designed to meet the unique needs of diverse communities.

In addition, the SNF Global Center and its Global Youth Advisory Council (GYAC) will come together, in-person, for the first time to lead two conversations focused on advancing collaborative and community-driven approaches to mental health:

• Strengthening Mental Health Systems through Cross-Country Partnerships: Case Studies from Greece, South Africa, Brazil, and Mozambique
• Youth Voices Driving Digital Innovation in Mental Health Interventions

These conversations aim to highlight how countries and communities are building stronger systems of support through local leadership, meaningful youth participation, and innovative approaches to care.

Building on the momentum of the SNF Global Center’s inaugural Global Summit on Youth Mental Health in 2025 and the ongoing work of the GYAC, SNF Nostos 2026 will also spotlight the critical role young people play in shaping the future of mental health. Across the week, youth leaders will share perspectives on how lived experience, community engagement, and innovation can help create more responsive and effective systems of support.

Additionally, a landmark Evidence-to-Policy Review examining what it means to navigate adolescence in an increasingly digital world will be presented.  Commissioned by the Prime Minister of Greece and developed through the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI) in Greece, the youth-led report brings together the latest evidence, youth perspectives, and a roadmap for how governments, institutions, and communities can better support young people in Greece and beyond.  Having started in Greece, CAMHI has since expanded into additional core hubs in South Africa and Brazil, as well as partnerships across multiple low- and middle-income countries.  We look forward to seeing the positive impacts this expansion will make on youth mental health globally.

Finally, as a special part of the celebration, the Child Mind Institute is proud to share a video reflecting on our transformative partnership with SNF, and the exceptional changes made possible through the SNF Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Over the past six years, we have worked together to expand access to care, strengthen mental health systems, support local leaders, and elevate youth voices across communities around the world.

SNF Nostos 2026 is a celebration of what becomes possible when people unite around a shared purpose. With humanity at the core, SNF Nostos 2026 will serve as a reminder that sustained progress begins with people — especially youth, families, communities, and the leaders committed to supporting them. Together, we can build a world where every child counts.