GLOBAL YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY FELLOWSHIP: MAY - NOVEMBER 2021

WHAT IS YOUR SPECIFIC AREA OF INTEREST IN YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY?

Community advocacy, policy advocacy.

WHY IS YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY IMPORTANT TO YOU?

There's no health without mental health. As a medical student active in community work, I have witnessed amongst peers both the trauma of mental illness and the incredible passion to serve. There's so much power in turning lived experience into lived expertise. Advocacy is important because the youth voice matters.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE MENTAL HEALTH IN YOUR COMMUNITY?

In Singapore, mental health has been stigmatised and under-resourced until more recently in 2019. A flurry of mental health services and projects has since occurred. However, fragmentation of services and stigma continue to inhibit young people from seeking help; young people should also be given a seat at the table in policy-making.