Being Initiative

#WorldMentalHealthDay may be behind us, but the conversation about youth mental health and lived experience must continue. Meaningful engagement with young people with lived experience starts with more than listening. It means giving youth a genuine role in shaping the decisions that affect them. In Youth Voices: A Guide to Meaningful Youth Engagement in Mental Health Funding, we share lessons from two years of partnership with the Being Initiative's Youth Advisory Group and offer practical strategies to help other funders meaningfully involve young people throughout the funding cycle. From clear engagement plans and consistent communication to fair compensation and opportunities for growth, the report highlights what it takes to turn youth participation into meaningful action. 👉 Take a look at our report: https://lnkd.in/d3wJyybN The Being Initiative is led at Grand Challenges Canada, in partnership with Fondation Botnar, the UK’s NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research), the Science for Africa Foundation, Orygen and United for Global Mental Health. ✨ We thank the Youth Advisors who co-authored this report in 2025: Puspita Alwi, Sweetbert Anselimus, Muskan Lamba, Oriana Ortiz Parrao, and Jihad Bnimoussa. #YouthMentalHealth #Youth #GlobalHealth #GlobalMentalHealth

Earlier this month, the Pakistan Global Mental Health Summit brought together governments, partners, and people with lived experience to mark the launch of Pakistan's National Mental Health Policy and to explore how to build climate-resilient, future-ready mental health systems for young people in Pakistan. We thank Harriet Roos, Counsellor (Development) and Head of Cooperation, High Commission of Canada to Pakistan, for highlighting Being's investments (through Grand Challenges Canada) in Pakistan and the innovators we support, including the Transition to Scale innovator, the Global Institute of Human Development (GIHD). GIHD's innovation, "PREVENT," pioneers Pakistan’s first scalable, school-integrated early intervention model for youth mental health. By shifting care from clinical specialists to trained psychology graduates and teachers through a certified accreditation framework, it embeds stigma-free mental health care within schools, enabling early identification and timely assistance for at-risk youth. We congratulate our partners at GIHD, including Dr. Syed Usman Hamdani, for co-hosting this important gathering. Additionally, Brittney Dudar, Portfolio Manager at Grand Challenges Canada, and Dr. Byron Bitanihirwe , Programme Manager at the Science for Africa Foundation, joined a panel session on scaling child and adolescent mental health initiatives in Pakistan. In Pakistan, the Being Initiative, which is led at Grand Challenges Canada, is supporting a pipeline of youth-led innovations that strengthen family functioning and ecosystem-building efforts to support demand and resource mobilization for youth mental health promotion and preventive approaches. 👉 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g5nKKgGU Fondation Botnar United for Global Mental Health British Asian Trust Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada #MentalHealth #YouthMentalHealth #GlobalHealth #Youth

“When people with lived experience are genuinely included in mental health decisions, we move from making decisions for people to making decisions with people.” This World Mental Health Day, hear from Being Lived Experience Advisor Issa Kamara from Sierra Leone. For Issa, lived experience is more than a story from the past. It is expertise that can help shape better mental health policies, programmes and services. Through his advocacy in Sierra Leone, Issa has seen how important it is to create spaces where lived experience is not only heard but valued and acted upon. This year’s theme, Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change, reminds us that listening is only the start. This #WMHD, we amplify Issa’s message, recognize lived experience as evidence, and make sure people’s voices are part of the solutions. 📖 Want to hear more lived experience stories? Read personal stories by Being Youth Advisors: https://lnkd.in/gC9hxHBP #WorldMentalHealthDay #WMHD2026 #LivedExperience #RealVoicesRealChange Grand Challenges Canada

The Women's World Cup is coming to Latin America. And so is a new opportunity for sport-based organizations. We are opening the Expression of Interest for The Next Move, a new initiative supporting organizations in Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia that are using sport to address gender-based violence, discrimination, and harmful gender norms. Inspired by the opportunity of the Women's World Cup 2027 in Brazil, The Next Move aims to strengthen organizations that are creating safer, more equitable, and inclusive communities through sport. 👉 Who should apply?  The call is open to organizations across the sport ecosystem in Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia 🇧🇷🇦🇷🇨🇴 that use sport to create safer, more inclusive, and cohesive communities 👉 What support is available?  Selected organizations will receive up to €250k total funding over three years aimed to offer organizational support to strengthen their work and advance their mission. The initiative combines: → Multi-year funding  → Organizational capacity strengthening  → Learning and exchange opportunities  → A regional network of peer organizations The Next Move builds on the momentum of the Women's World Cup coming to Latin America for the first time, supporting organizations across the region working toward gender equity and social cohesion through sport. ℹ️ Key Information  🗓️ Expression of Interest deadline: 4 October 2026 11:59 BRT  📌 Full details and funding guidelines: https://lnkd.in/eFsSxyRY 🗳️ Submit your Expression of Interest: https://lnkd.in/e79M7irQ 

In Guayaquil, Ecuador, Fundación Fútbol Más is using football to support young people exposed to violence and strengthen their psychosocial wellbeing. Its "United for Sport and Healthy School Coexistence" program, backed by Being, equips teachers with tools to address psychosocial risks, integrates life skills into physical education, and creates socio-sport events that bring students and adults together. By turning sport into a space for connection, communication and conflict resolution, the programme is helping young people build the skills and supportive relationships they need to thrive. 🔗 Learn more about how football can support youth mental health in our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/gn6z86AM The Being Initiative is led at Grand Challenges Canada. It is a partnership with United for Global Mental Health, Orygen, Science for Africa Foundation, Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada , Fondation Botnar and NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) #MentalHealth #FootballForGood #Sport #Youth #YouthMentalHealth #GlobalMentalHealth #GlobalHealth

In Colombia, Sport brings young people together—and creates opportunities to learn, connect and grow. "Let’s Play for Baranoa," by FCC Colombia, an innovation backed by Being (led at Grand Challenges Canada), is using football to help children and young people build skills both on and off the pitch. Through regular football sessions, young people aged 10–18 strengthen teamwork, empathy, self-esteem and conflict-resolution skills, while coaches, parents and community leaders learn how to create more supportive environments around them. 🔗 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gn6z86AM #FootballForGood #SportForDevelopment #YouthMentalHealth #MentalHealth #Colombia #GlobalHealth #GlobalMentalHealth #InternationYouthDay United for Global Mental Health Science for Africa Foundation Fondation Botnar NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Orygen

⚽ How is football protecting youth mental health in Senegal? Through its MatchFit project, the Tackle organization is a powerful platform for connection, confidence, and mental well-being among youth. MatchFit, supported by Being, Grand Challenges Canada's mental health initiative, is testing the effectiveness of experiential football sessions in schools across Guédiawaye, Senegal, to improve young people’s mental health knowledge, challenge harmful cultural beliefs, and reduce stigma. ✨ Explore how this innovation is harnessing the power of football to support youth mental health: https://lnkd.in/g2vcRnrJ United for Global Mental Health Fondation Botnar Science for Africa Foundation Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada Orygen NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) #Football #FIFA #YouthMentalHealth #MentalHealth #SportForDevelopment #Innovation #Youth