Young Leaders Are Shaping Systems and Driving Change Around the World

International Youth Day 2025 becomes a springboard for action, fresh solutions, and global partnerships.

New York, USA, Brasília, Brazil — The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute co-led influential multi-stakeholder dialogues across two continents during International Youth Day 2025, demonstrating its diverse and collaborative leadership in youth mental health.

The SNF Global Center worked with young people to help shape actionable solutions and forge new partnerships, while also co-leading high-level panels during the prestigious AFS Youth Assembly in New York and hosting an official congressional celebration in Brasília, Brazil.

Young leaders provided unique, firsthand perspectives on mental health challenges to reshape how experts address current needs across diverse global contexts. Through powerful, action-driven speeches and engagement, they called for the strengthening of participation models and improved implementation of culturally responsive frameworks.

At the 30th AFS Youth Assembly, Eduardo Vasconcelos, Director of Youth Engagement at the SNF Global Center was invited to speak on the panel, “Beyond the Surface: The Global Mental Health Crisis” alongside representatives from UN Women, young tech entrepreneurs, and global media. The AFS Youth Assembly reportedly attracted approximately 700 young leaders (ages 18-35) from over 100 countries.

The AFS Youth Assembly held over the weekend of August 8-10 in New York City, was then followed by the congressional celebration in Brazil’s capital city of Brasilia on August 12, the idea for which was first proposed by the nonprofit Young Peacebuilders, an organization partnering with the SNF Global Center that works to prevent school-based violence and promote mental well-being among Brazilian youth.

During this event, Vasconcelos co-led one of the two panel discussions focused on youth leadership and mental health care frameworks. He reiterated the urgent call for rapid investments in strengthening evidence-based mental health resources and systems. Vasconcelos also highlighted the need for improved mental health measurement tools, more effective communication strategies to inform and engage families and communities, stronger school-based interventions, and the training of frontline workers.

“These events are a great example of global partnerships in action to drive renewed commitments to act,” says Vasconcelos. “The SNF Global Center also took this opportunity to introduce our newly formed Youth Councils in Brazil and South Africa to deepen the discussion and define priorities.” Ana Beatriz Araújo, a member of the SNF Global Center Youth Council in Brazil, co-moderated the second panel discussion, in which Congress members and mental health experts discussed the role of mental well-being in national youth policy. The SNF Global Center Youth Council in Brazil is a structured group of young advocates representing all national regions focused on community action, dialogue, policy advocacy, and research to inspire government action and behavior change. The program is integrated across the organization’s initiatives and is replicated in South Africa.

According to Araújo, even in the face of immense challenges, young people continue to identify new pathways towards transformation through lived experiences.

“What drives me is the scientific pursuit of how we can better protect the mental health of Brazil’s children, adolescents, and young adults,” she explains. “Our Youth Council brings together public-school students from every region of Brazil to discuss the most urgent issues affecting young people’s mental health. It is about bringing the reality of the classroom into policy discussions and watching youth-driven ideas inspire real change, as is happening here today.”

Additionally, the first roundtable at the event in Brazil, “The National Youth Policy in Dialogue with Parliament,” studied Brazil’s current youth legislation and the intersection of mental health, inclusion, and environmental sustainability. The final session titled, “Youth Mental Health in Perspective,” featured youth advocates, health professionals, and grassroots leaders. It focused on youth-led initiatives in the mental health care space.

This collaborative initiative was organized by the Brazilian Congressional Caucus on the Promotion of Mental Health, the Secretary for Infancy, Adolescence, and Youth of the Chamber of Deputies, and the Institute for Health Policy Studies (IEPS), in partnership with the SNF Global Center.

Two major papers published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review Brasil, were also launched during the same event. One is produced by the IEPS and the second is co-authored by experts from the SNF Global Center at the Child Mind Institute, offering new evidence-based insights into how children and adolescents’ mental health can be better supported in schools. This expert team includes Giovanni Abrahão Salum, MD, PhD (Senior Vice-President of Global Programs), Carolina Martins Costa, MS (Brazil Country Manager), Julia Schäfer, PhD (Program Manager of Clinical and Psychosocial Interventions), and Caio Casella (Clinical Data Analyst).

The SNF Global Center’s Youth Councils drew keen interest from diverse young people — representing an immediate demand for similar platforms empowering children and adolescents to become active citizens. Centering youth voices in discussions with mental health experts and government authorities enforces the sustainability of the SNF Global Center’s initiatives.

These youth engagement models are inspired by the YES program, first initiated by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Initiative in Greece in 2022 — encompassing the establishment of five Youth Advisory Groups in the cities of Athens, Thessaloniki, Alexandroupolis, Ioannina, and Heraklion. During regular meetings with experienced facilitators and coordinators, children and adolescents discuss perspectives and ways to turn ideas into actionable projects in schools and relevant settings.

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.