Orygen Global celebrated the completion of the inaugural Youth Mental Health Advocacy Fellowship program at the end of November. During the final months of the fellowship program, the fellows refined their advocacy projects that they will be implementing in their local context. You can read and hear about some of the Fellow's experiences in Colombia, Mexico and Afghanisatan by following the links below.
The fellows have reported that they have most valued the strong sense of community and networks built through the fellowship. Through a range of educational sessions and mentoring opportunities, the fellows have gained invaluable practical skills to apply in their advocacy work. They have described feeling more confident in their skills to better advocate within their local communities and have been inspired and empowered to drive the next wave of change in the youth mental health advocacy space. Orygen Global will continue to engage this first cohort of fellows as well as future cohorts through building an alumni network.
Orygen Global is excited to launch a limited podcast series featuring the inaugural fellowship cohort, exploring their learnings and experiences during the Orygen Global Youth Mental Health Advocacy Fellowship. The exclusive first episode of this podcast series is hosted by the fellowship co-founders Nataya Branjerdporn and Maddison O’Gradey-Lee. In this episode, Juan Pablo Alvarado Herrera and Tania Aréstegui reflect on their learnings from the first month of the fellowship and how these will be applied to their local advocacy work in Colombia and Mexico.
Additionally, Ahmad, an Orygen Global fellow from Afghanistan, has written about his experience promoting mental health amidst the geopolitical uncertainty in his country. Ahmad's piece includes his personal journey and the systemic challenges he faces while seeking to educate about and advocate for youth mental health. You can read it on the Global Mental Health Action Network website, here.
With the success of this inaugural fellowship cohort, Orygen Global is looking to open applications for the next round of the Youth Mental Health Advocacy Fellowship, commencing March 2022. Applications are due to open early January 2022 – stay tuned!
Listen to episode one