ForYouPage.Org, a youth-led NGO and a worldwide coalition of young advocates, collaborated with the science summit of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78) to successfully host an engaging speaker session on Sept 15th in NYC. Drawing in over 400 participants from around the world, this session not only elevated the conversation of the youth mental health crisis to an international platform but also introduced a novel perspective on the potential of grassroots youth activism as a pathway to addressing the crisis, vividly demonstrating the power of youth when they unite as a collective force.  

In a spirited opening address, Marx Wang, the creator of ForYouPage.Org, set the tone for the session by emphasizing that youth participation in mental health advocacy goes beyond the scope of addressing local mental health issues itself. He highlighted the significance of young individuals gaining agency, resiliency, and self-efficacy through activism. “To know we are in charge. This is the key to our own flourishing,” Wang said. 

Sahith Kancharla, President of Active Minds at Virginia Tech and a computer science major, brings attention to the stark reality of mental health issues among STEM students, where psychological well-being is often more neglected than other students. He emphasized that STEM students, despite being most prone to mental distress, rarely solicit help due to insufficient communication skills for expressing their feelings and that schools’ mental health support programs are poorly catered to STEM students’ needs. Sahith aimed to revitalize Active Minds to bridge the gap between students and the institution, facilitating a dialogue where their mental struggles can be effectively heard and addressed. “I have seen too many people around me struggle to get adults to understand what they were going through but easily understood by their friends,” said Kancharla.

Maddie Freeman, the founder of NoSo November, short for No Social Media November, also took the stage to shed light on the role of social media’s addictive design in fueling the mental health crisis. Freeman stressed that young people deserve actionable steps to improve their tech/life balance. The month-long detox program has improved 88.9% of the participants’ mental health. She emphasized that a “by-youth-for-youth” approach is crucial in designing an effective curriculum around social media, “as we digital natives are the only ones who truly understand the impacts on a personal level, so we are the best ones to create and implement the solutions.” 

With the ongoing mental health crisis impacting young people globally, youth-led initiatives like ForYouPage.Org and NoSo November are rallying more grassroots youth to engage in mental health advocacy. By bringing together nine highly impactful youth advocates in the United States and fostering a conversation between youth and adult advocates committed to the well-being of young individuals, the speaker session by ForYouPage.Org, entirely organized by youth, marked a pivotal turning point in showcasing the power of young people. It demonstrated how youth can take charge and set the table on important issues when they are united. As Marx said, “Together, we can make the world a little more sustainable, a little more just, a little more happier, through our own hands today.”

Marx Wang’s words, “Together we can make the world a little more sustainable, a little more just, a little happier, through our own hands today,” encapsulate the essence of youth-led initiatives. They have the potential to inspire change, challenge the status quo, and pave the way for a better, more compassionate world. This collaboration between youth and adults not only amplifies the impact of youth advocacy but also fosters intergenerational dialogue and understanding, acknowledging that it takes a collective effort to address the complex challenges of mental health and well-being in today’s society. The success of this speaker session serves as a compelling example of how young people, when empowered and united, can drive positive change and leave a lasting impact on their communities and the world.