ASEAN-AUSTRALIA YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FELLOWSHIP - COHORT 2: AUGUST TO DECEMBER 2023

Michael Angelo Pereira

What is your specific area of interest in youth mental health advocacy?

Systems/Policy and Mental Health Intersectional Advocacy.

why is youth mental health advocacy important to you?

Mental health is important for overall wellbeing. Without it, health is incomplete. For me, youth mental health advocacy opens two doors. First, it promotes co-production in the discourse, thus bolstering awareness and knowledge. Second, it encourages healthy habits and amplifies youth voices in pursuit of a compassionate and secure society.

how would you describe mental health in your community?

The pandemic exacerbated the already fragile mental health in the country. However, it opens opportunities for it to be prioritised systemically. While there is still a long way to go when it comes to destigmatising mental health, efforts have been made to champion safe spaces, both online and on ground approaches.

Project Summary

Project Linang is a campaign that seeks to bring collaboration with mental health champions in promoting a holistic, inclusive and equitable approach to mental health with other intersections. Linang is a Tagalog word which means ‘to cultivate’. The conception of the word Linang encourages the aspiration of cultivating something to start a ripple of change, thus the campaign aims to foster an inclusive and co-productive environment. This calls for educators, mental health and allied professionals, policymakers and youth as the movers for this project. The aforementioned stakeholders will be both utilised and cultivated in different capacities and resources which will help sow the seeds of wellbeing in the community.