Watch the full panel discussion here: https://youtu.be/XFD87RGnJKM?si=Rfpl-lZpyJ88X4z5

 

On June 28-29, Mr. Trinh Dinh Minh Viet (Program Director – Lighthouse) delivered a speech at the annual conference of the Global Mental Health Action Network in Cape Town, South Africa. This notable event brought together over 150 leading experts in the field of mental health from around the world, along with more than 500 online participants from 45 countries across continents. The conference provided a platform to discuss key issues in mental health intervention and program design (e.g., data gaps in adolescent mental health, integrating mental health into universal healthcare programs, global mental health aid landscape). The conference was organized by United for Global Mental Health, with the support of Grand Challenges Canada, Fondation Botnar, Wellcome Trust, and other partners.

 

At the conference, Mr. Minh Viet spoke in a panel discussion titled “Youth-centred funding driving change in mental health.” Other speakers in the session included Mr. Sahil Chopra (representing Grand Challenges Canada), Ms. Aline Cossy-Gantner (representing Fondation Botnar), and Mr. Jose Peffer (from the community organization Waves for Change). During the session, Mr. Viet emphasized the transformative nature of the LGBTIQ+ Mental Health Network in Vietnam, which empowers LGBTIQ+ youth with lived experience of mental health issues to take on leadership roles. Specifically, all members of the Network’s Board of Directors believe in the significance of this leadership quality and work together to establish mechanisms for meaningful youth participation in mental health advocacy for LGBTIQ+ individuals. Additionally, Mr. Viet conducted an in-depth analysis of two crucial factors to ensure the fullest involvement of youth in research and real-world applications for mental health. These factors require global leaders to (1) allocate meaningful youth participation based on their aspirations, orientations, and individual capacities, and (2) invest efforts in empowering youth leadership whenever possible.

Lighthouse is honored to be one of the national partners of the United Global Mental Health organization. Furthermore, the organization actively participates as a member of the Global Mental Health Action Network, which brings together over 3,000 members from 140 different countries worldwide.