The two-day 2024 Shamiri Summit centered on the concept of “The Light Within” and how we can foster hope, resilience, and optimism amidst global challenges. Over 35 thought leaders and experts lent their voices to these discussions. In each of the three tracks – Science, Policy, and Doer - scientists, policymakers, practitioners, educators, and advocates got granular on the latest work in youth mental health in their fields and shared in creative solutions to move the needle.
Youth mental health is a critical public health issue. Our 2024 youth mental health survey found 37% of adolescents aged 12 – 24 reported moderate to severe signs of depression and anxiety and 61% indicated moderate to severe PTSD symptoms. This survey, which was previewed at the 2024 Shamiri Summit, set the stage for the two-day discussions on youth mental health.
Closing day 2 of the summit was the synthesis panel, “What’s Next?” where a representative from each track shared their key findings from the past two days. Policy discussed frameworks and governance for mental health, Doers highlighted on-the-ground implementation and innovation, and Science shared research-driven insights and evidence-based approaches. Here is what the Stella Waruingi, Dr. Christine Wasanga, and Chiara van Oekel had to say:
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Stella Waruingi - Policy
Head of Mental Health Department, Nairobi City County Government
Key takeaway: Collaborative efforts in policy implementation are of utmost importance.
Tell me more: Stella emphasized the need for intentional involvement of multiple stakeholders in policymaking and the importance of a trans-disciplinary and multi-sectoral approach. She underscored the value of localization and decolonization of mental health practices and spoke to the importance of community trust, culturally sensitive interventions, and the need for sustainable partnerships across public and private sectors.
Dr. Christine Wasanga – Science
Senior Lecturer, Kenyatta University
Key takeaway: To translate research into policy, there needs to be robust local data on contextualized research and involvement from local community stakeholders.
Tell me more: Dr. Wasanga highlighted the need for collaboration across sectors to address the mental health treatment gap, which is particularly pronounced in countries like Kenya. She shared the suggestion of involving local ministries and community leaders from the outset of research and interventions and integrating non-traditional mental health practices as part of a comprehensive approach. She spoke to the tendency to apply foreign models of mental health care to the local context without adaptation and the importance of finding evidence-based, localized, scalable solutions to bridge the treatment gap.
Chiara van Oekel – Doer
Chief Operating Officer, Shamiri Health
Key takeaway: Doers need to work together to scale effective solutions while caring for the mental health of the individuals within the organizations.
Tell me more: Chiara echoed the importance of partnership and working with other implementing partners to scale youth mental health interventions aligning the work with existing policies, partnering with government, and conducting community dialogues to maintain relevance. She shared the importance of practicing what we preach and ensuring mental health in the workplace is prioritized. Chiara stressed the shared responsibility for building workplace culture, with a particular emphasis on leadership's role in modeling desired behaviors and creating safe, authentic spaces for employees.
Across the board, panelists sought collaboration and destigmatization on youth mental health. Although there is still a lot of work to be done, panelists agreed that the conversations left them feeling hopeful and optimistic about the future of youth mental health in Kenya.
