Inaugural Global Summit on Youth Mental Health Concludes With Cross-Sector Commitments and Youth-Led Ideas

As the UN adopts a landmark Political Declaration to promote mental health and wellbeing, experts pledge to expand support for child and adolescent mental health care in the digital era

New York, USA – Youth voices commanded center stage during the inaugural Global Summit on Youth Mental Health organized by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute and supported by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Initiative in Greece. The event coincided with the 80th UN General Assembly (UNGA) High-level Week, and concluded with powerful calls to action, and commitments to advance global child and adolescent mental health through strengthened collaboration. A post-event report led by youth from Greece, Brazil and South Africa, is expected to lay out a framework with actionable next steps and recommendations for meaningful partnerships, and will be shared with attendees.

During the event, a Single Session Intervention (SSI) competition was introduced for young people in Brazil to develop brief, interactive activities to support healthier tech habits. The competition is a collaborative endeavor with Instituto Felipe Neto (IFN). Founded by Brazilian content creator, prominent digital influencer, and entrepreneur Felipe Neto, who was an attendee and speaker, IFN addresses youth mental health and digital safety.

The event was held at the Child Mind Institute headquarters in New York City on September 22, 2025, with attendees and panelists including global youth leaders, the Clinton Foundation, UNICEF, Wellcome Trust, the World Health Organization, United for Global Mental Health, McKinsey Health Institute, and Grand Challenges Canada.

Under the theme “The Digital Dilemma: Bridging Science and Storytelling for Youth Mental Health,” the summit took place during a landmark shift in global mental health priorities. For the first time, mental health and well-being will be formally integrated within the global agenda on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) during the fourth High-level Meeting of the UNGA. UN Member States are adopting a political declaration that outlines a new vision for the prevention and control of NCDs, and promotion of mental health and well-being.

During the summit, inspiring young changemakers actively involved in youth-led mental health initiatives in their communities and supported by the Youth Engagement Scheme (YES), a programmatic component of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Initiative in Greece, which began in 2022, and the SNF Global Center led with thought-provoking speeches and calls to action in the first panel, “Grassroots Youth Leadership in Mental Health: Stories from Brazil, South Africa, and Greece.”

One speaker, Nelly Serdari, who supports young members of YES, shared her reflections on breaking down barriers, and hopes for next steps.

“What I love to see in these types of conferences and summits is adults actually listen. The Only thing that can try to break down barriers is if older generations try to get on our level,” Sedari said. “I will leave here refreshed and hopeful and return to Greece and will tell all the children in the YES program that there are people that care about them and will try to make things better.”

Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, founding president and medical director of the Child Mind Institute, led a conversation with Felipe Neto focused on youth, influence and advocacy, while emphasizing the importance of collaborative partnerships, particularly at the time of the UNGA High-Level Meeting Political Declaration.

“The summit is not only about dialogue, it is about taking action. By bridging science, storytelling and lived experiences, we can explore solutions to challenges in global youth mental health together. No one field can do this alone, it requires collaborative partnerships,” said Dr. Koplewicz. “The importance of the event is also evident through the representation of diverse youth and partners.”

Through research and experience, Felipe Neto highlighted one of the main challenges in protecting youth mental health in Brazil is associated with social media use and algorithms.

“When we talk about kids’ safety, we’re talking about an amount of responsibility that is more than creating videos and influencing people,” said Felipe Neto, “I decided to fund my institute to try and help teenagers going through a hard time, because I know how hard it is. I hope that the job we started can inspire other people to also create more institutes, more facilities and more school integration systems to help those teenagers that are going through such a difficult time.”

Discussions also explored topics such as “How Can We Reimagine Digital Connectivity for Positive” and “Empowering Youth Participation and Youth-Led Organizations in the Mental Health Space.”

Partners at United for Global Mental Health described the summit as an important space to reflect and take action, particularly when decision-makers are discussing regulations and reforms around global youth mental health.

“It was fantastic to see so many young people talking about youth mental health and what they’ve done to help contribute to their communities. Coming out of this summit and HLM, I’m hoping that we’ll see greater action from the commitments made to address the gaps limiting youth from accessing services,” said Sarah Kline, chief executive and co-founder, United for Global Mental Health.

The SNF Global Center continuously works to develop and promote authentic youth participation and high-impact, cross-sector partnerships that equip youth with the right skills, resources and empowerment to lead global solutions. By creating decision-making pathways that position young people as the driving force, mental health care systems across low and middle-income countries (LMICs) can be strengthened.

The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI) is implemented in partnership with Child Mind Institute, with exclusive support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), as part of SNF’s Global Health Initiative.

About the SNF Global Center at the Child Mind Institute

The SNF Global Center brings together the Child Mind Institute’s expertise as a leading independent nonprofit in children’s mental health and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)’s deep commitment to supporting collaborative projects to improve access to quality health care worldwide. The center is building partnerships to drive advances in under-researched areas of children and adolescents’ mental health, and expand access to culturally appropriate training, resources, and treatment in low- and middle-income countries. This work is conducted by the Child Mind Institute with support from SNF through its Global Health Initiative (GHI).

About the Child Mind Institute

The Child Mind Institute is dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders by giving them the help they need. We’ve become the leading independent nonprofit in children’s mental health by providing gold-standard, evidence-based care, delivering educational resources to millions of families each year, training educators in underserved communities, and developing tomorrow’s breakthrough treatments.