As we step into 2025, we reflect on the highlights of 2024, revisiting impactful milestones and meaningful moments. We extend our sincere thanks to our dedicated partners, advisors, and team for their ongoing support and collaboration. Looking ahead, we are excited to continue working together towards a world where young people feel well and thrive.
See our key moments from 2024 below!
- Making Mental Health Friendly Cities for Young People
In February 2024, Nicole Bardikoff, Associate Director of Global Mental Health at Grand Challenges Canada, co-authored a Nature analysis titled “Making Cities Mental Health Friendly for Adolescents and Young Adults” that explored how urban environments shape youth mental health. While cities offer access to health, education, and economic opportunities, they can also negatively impact mental well-being.
The study engaged a global group of researchers, practitioners, advocates, and young people to identify key characteristics of mental health-friendly cities. Priorities included fostering life skills, creating safe public spaces, centering youth voices in urban design, and addressing social determinants like inequality and job insecurity.
- SFA Foundation Launched Call for Proposals for Youth Mental Health Longitudinal Research
In partnership with the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation), Being invests in longitudinal research to explore the long-term effects of emerging stressors on young people’s mental health. In February 2024, the SFA Foundation launched a call for proposals to support researchers in 12 countries—Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, Romania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Vietnam.
This research aims to address critical knowledge gaps by examining how stressors such as poverty, stigma, and climate change affect youth mental health over time. Insights from this work will inform evidence-based policies and strategies to better support young people worldwide.
- Mapping Youth Mental Health Landscapes
In April 2024, the Being Initiative published a Public Good Report, Mapping Youth Mental Health Landscapes: Local Insights from 13 Countries, based on a year-long landscape analysis on the drivers of youth mental health across 12 countries: Colombia, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, Romania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Vietnam.
Local organizations in each priority country led consultations with over 3,000 stakeholders – nearly 40% of whom were youth and included government officials, health professionals, researchers, academics, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and individuals with lived experience – this research uncovered crucial insights into the key drivers of youth mental health in each country.
- Being’s First Request for Proposal
On April 8, 2024, Being successfully launched its first request for proposals, inviting youth-led and innovative projects to address the country-specific challenges identified in the landscape analysis.
Through Proof-of-Concept, Transition-to-Scale, and Ecosystem Catalyst grants, Being aims to test solutions that address the drivers of youth mental health and cultivate an ecosystem where youth mental health initiatives – and, ultimately, young people – can thrive.
This coordinated approach positions Being, its partners, and the youth innovators leading the way as catalysts for sustainable and impactful change in the global mental health landscape.
- The Lancet Webinar on Implementation Research
On Monday, April 15, 2024, we teamed up with The Lancet Psychiatry, United for Global Mental Health and the Global Mental Health Action Network for a dynamic webinar on mental health Implementation Research. Being’s Youth Advisor, Jihad Bnimoussa, moderated the session as we heard from speakers from UNICEF, Columbia University, as they shared their insights from The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on Implementation Research, published in March, 2024.
Sahil Chopra, Portfolio Manager at Grand Challenges Canada, also joined them to represent the Being Initiative and share exclusive insights into Being’s landscape analysis and public good report.
- Bold Ideas for Brighter Futures
Being and its partners from Grand Challenges Canada, Fondation Botnar, United for Global Mental Health, and landscape analysis partners from the Global Institute of Human Development-Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Universitas Gadjah Mada, and the General Secretariat of Mental Health and Addiction Treatment, presented a symposium titled “Advancing Global Understanding of Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing: Insights from the ‘Being’ Initiative in Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, and Vietnam” at the Bold Ideas for Brighter Futures Conference, hosted by UNICEF and the Karolinska Institutet, which took place in Stockholm, Sweden from May 15-16, 2024.
Being’s session explored findings from a landscape analysis. It reinforced the need for global collaborative, informed, and youth-centred approaches to address mental health challenges.
Youth Advisor Puspita Alwi also attended the event to represent her organization, Sehat Jiwa.
Read Puspita’s full takeaways!
- Collaboration at the 77th World Health Assembly
From May 31 to June 1, 2024, Being and its partners—Grand Challenges Canada (Being’s host organization), Fondation Botnar, United for Global Mental Health, Science for Africa Foundation, Global Affairs Canada, and Orygen—gathered on the sidelines of the 77th World Health Assembly to celebrate progress and strengthen collaboration.
The discussion focused on shaping priorities for Phase 2 of Being’s work, advancing measurement approaches for ecosystem impact, and refining strategies for fundraising and partnerships.
- World Environment Day 2024: A Call to Action
“Climate change is very evident as a present scenario, not just in the future. People are really experiencing it not just in their minds but also in their bodies. So when we’re talking solutions, it’s really important to center youth within that because we understand what’s happening, and we are making decisions for the next 10, 20, 30 years.” — Muskan Lamba, Being Youth Advisor.
On June 5, 2024, for World Environment Day, we featured the inspiring words of Being Youth advisor Muskan Lamba as she highlights the powerful link between mental health and climate change and the importance of centring young people in discussions and solutions related to these challenges.
Hear Muskan’s powerful remarks!
- Elevate Children Funders Group’s 2024 Annual General Meeting
The Elevate Children Funders and Global Early Childhood Funders Annual Meeting, held from June 4–6, 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya, emphasized youth leadership, community-driven solutions, and bold shifts in philanthropy. Key discussions focused on three themes: centering the whole child across silos, connecting with the communities most affected, and reimagining philanthropy with and for young people.
Sireesha Bobbili, Portfolio manager at Grand Challenges Canada, presented the Being Initiative’s ecosystem catalyst funding opportunity, showcasing a coordinated approach to advancing youth mental health. Sanjana Janardhanan, Saving Brains portfolio manager, led a session on “Sparking System Change: The Need for a Catalyst,” highlighting shared traits of innovators who successfully scaled solutions to complex issues.
- The Lancet Psychiatry Comment on Meaningful Youth Engagement
In August 2024, for the launch of The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on Youth Mental Health, led by Orygen, the Being Initiative published a powerful Comment titled “Meaningful Youth Engagement for a Positive Mental Health Ecosystem”. This piece was co-authored by Lived Experience advisors Hrushitaa Murali and Cecilia Ashaley Fofo, alongside partners from Grand Challenges Canada (Melani O’Leary and Sireesha Bobbili), the Science for Africa Foundation (Byron Bitanihirwe), and United for Global Mental Health (Sarah Kline, Aviwe Funani, and Antonis Kousoulis).
Read our Comment on meaningful youth engagement!
- Being the Change at the 79th UN General Assembly
The Being team attended the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79) in New York City from September 19-30, 2024, where youth mental health was a critical conversation. On September 22, Grand Challenges Canada proudly hosted Being the Change on the sidelines of UNGA 79, bringing together funders, partners, and innovators committed to addressing the pressing challenges of youth mental health.
At Being the Change, we outlined our priorities and debuted our new video which spotlights our approach. One of the event’s key moments was a presentation by Trevor Ncube, the Zimbabwe Lead from Grand Challenges Canada-supported innovator SameSame (SiyaFanaFana). Trevor was among fellow speakers Karlee Silver, CEO of Grand Challenges Canada (GCC), and Melani O’Leary, Associate Director of Global Health Innovation at GCC.
Read our key takeaways from UNGA 79!
- 2024 Youth Power Summit at UNGA 79
On that same day, Oriana Ortiz Parrao, Being Youth Advisor, spoke at the Youth Power Summit hosted by Fondation Botnar and Restless Development, where she delivered a compelling message urging global leaders to prioritize young people in mental health financing, programming, and policy. Hear Oriana’s powerful remarks!
- The Role of Youth Mental Health and the SDGs
In September 2024, Being launched a new report, Empowering Futures: The Role of Youth Mental Health in Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, in collaboration with our partners at United for Global Mental Health.
Drawing on the insights from Being’s public good report, Empowering Futures outlines how more significant investment in youth mental health can accelerate progress across various goals. It highlights the direct relationship between youth mental health and the SDGs, such as quality education, reduced inequalities, and good health and wellbeing.
- 2024 Digital Mental Health International Congress
The Digital Mental Health International Congress (eMHIC) took place in Ottawa, Canada, from September 19 to 20, 2024. This year’s theme, “Digital Building Capacity: 24/7 Mental Health Support for All,” brought together experts and leaders to discuss how digital mental health can provide support and services for individuals in need of care.
Representing Grand Challenges Canada and the Being Initiative were Portfolio Managers Sahil Chopra and Pulkit Aggrwal, who shared some of their key learnings from the discussions, including engaging young people, integrating digital tools and prioritizing user safety, stigma reduction, and more.
- World Mental Health Day 2024
To commemorate World Mental Health Day on October 10, 2024, we shared a new video produced in collaboration with Shape History, highlighting our approach to supporting youth mental health worldwide: addressing mental health challenges early on and equipping young people with skills and support while working to build an ecosystem for and with young people by investing in research, innovation, and youth-led solutions.
- 2024 YMCA Accelerator Summit
In October 2024, Erica Zissis, Program Operations Associate at Grand Challenges Canada, attended the YMCA World Accelerator Summit in Mombasa, Kenya. This event brought together global stakeholders to share knowledge and inspire action on youth empowerment and community wellbeing.
Her experiences at the summit centred around several key discussions, particularly on the role of relational well-being in fostering mental health and the importance of meaningful employment for youth.
- Global Mental Health Financing Insights Report
Grand Challenges Canada’s Global Mental Health financing, which includes the Being Initiative, and Fondation Botnar, a key partner of Being, have been recognized as one of the top 10 funders financing global mental health in Prospira Global‘s recent report “The Power of Giving: Global Mental Health Financing Insights,” launched on October 18, 2024, at TheREAL Summit.
“Addressing mental health is crucial to building healthier communities, and innovative approaches are transforming how mental health prevention, promotion and care is supported—especially in regions with limited access. We are grateful to be funding this work in partnership with Global Affairs Canada, Fondation Botnar, and the UK’s Department of Health & Social Care, and are excited to see more funders stepping up to join us. Together, we can make a lasting impact on mental health worldwide,” says Dr. Karlee Silver, CEO, Grand Challenges Canada.
- First Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children
On November 7-8, 2024, Being and Grand Challenges Canada joined incredible partners— Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN), United for Global Mental Health, The New School and the Trauma Research Foundation at the first Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in Bogota, Colombia, to explore robust solutions that can address the impact of early adversity on brain development.
Discussions highlighted the importance of centring children’s and youth’s lived experiences, from community-driven strategies to scaling mental health solutions through technology to shaping impactful programs and policies.
Read the conference’s key takeaways!
- 2024 Being Global Gathering
From November 26 to November 28, 2024, the Being Initiative convened with partners and innovators from Grand Challenges Canada‘s (GCC) Global Mental Health portfolio at the Fondation Mohammed VI des Sciences et de la Santé in Rabat, Morocco, for the Being Global Gathering. Organized by Orygen – Being’s Learning and Support Network partner.
This engaging event brought together youth mental health advocates and innovators from GCC’s Global Mental Health portfolio for three days of intensive learning, sharing, and connection-building. The gathering was an important moment to reflect on successes and challenges related to evidence generation, sustainability, and scale for mental health innovations.
Read key takeaways from each day of the Global Gathering below!
- Thinking in Mental Health Research
On December 4, 2024, the International Alliance of Mental Health Research Funders hosted an online symposium, “Systems Matter: Why Systems Thinking is Essential for Bridging the Mental Health Research Implementation Gap,” in collaboration with The Lancet Psychiatry and Grand Challenges Canada.
The event explored systems thinking in mental health research and implementation, featuring practical examples from global contexts and reflections on opportunities for advancing the field. Chaired by Sireesha Bobbili, Portfolio Manager at Grand Challenges Canada, the session highlighted actionable insights and recommendations to bridge the gap between research and practice.
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Workshop
On December 10th and 11th, 2024, Grand Challenges Canada hosted a two-day Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Workshop for the Being Initiative, bringing together partners from Fondation Botnar, the Science for Africa Foundation, United for Global Mental Health, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and Orygen.
The workshop was held in person and virtually and focused on aligning learning objectives, refining measurement frameworks, and exploring synergies to turn insights into tangible action.
