Orygen has joined an international mental health collaboration, Being, to play a leadership role in a new program aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of young people in 12 low-and middle-income countries.
Being supports young people’s mental health by funding research, innovation, and ecosystem-building that is focused on prevention, promotion and the identification of early drivers of mental health challenges.
The initiative is hosted by Grand Challenges Canada, with support from Orygen’s international arm, Orygen Global, and four other partners; Fondation Botnar, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Science for Africa Foundation, and United for Global Mental Health.
As world leaders in research and knowledge translation, Orygen’s key role in the collaboration is to spearhead the Being Learning and Support Network for successful funding applicants.
Proposals for that funding are now open to organisations and individuals.
Orygen Global will work with the successful applicants by guiding the development of research and innovation, with a focus on prevention and promotion in the 12 priority countries: Colombia, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, Romania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Vietnam.
The Being Learning and Support Network will focus on providing technical support, facilitating knowledge exchange, promoting best practices, and supporting the distribution of Being’s collective impact with global innovators.
Orygen Global has partnered with seven leading organisations to establish Regional Hubs in Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
The Regional Hubs will be led by the Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy (South Asia), Catalina Popoviciu (Eastern Europe), Fundación Kindred (Latin America), Ganizo (Sub-Saharan Africa), Nivishe (Sub-Saharan Africa), Saad Uakkas (Middle East and North Africa) and Universitas Gadjah Mada (ASEAN).
The hub approach ensures the innovators receive support that is informed by a deep understanding of the social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors that shape communities.
Additionally, Orygen Global’s expertise and existing sector and stakeholder relationships will support collaboration opportunities and the ongoing sustainability of projects. This will in turn enable initiatives to create lasting impact that extends beyond the grant period.
“We’re incredibly excited by the opportunities for innovation and impact that the Being initiative can unlock for the young people in these 12 countries, and beyond,” said Craig Hodges, Director of Orygen Global.
“Being’s focus on partnering with young people to realise a vision for a world where young people feel well and thrive aligns with Orygen’s mission, and we are particularly enthusiastic about supporting youth-focused organisations from the 12 countries to deliver within their own communities.”