Youth Wellbeing Champions

Piloting mental health peer support for young people in Uganda

About this project

We have partnered with Uganda Care Leavers, final year social work students from Makerere University and No Limit Generation to develop a tool kit that can be used online or in person, to address a number of areas affecting youth in the community and young adults with lived experience of institutional care.

The innovation, supported by Grand Challenges Canada, is a youth-led, accessible video series with an accompanying guidebook designed to identify, address and support the healing journey for children, young people and youth in Uganda.

It is designed to provide families, social workers, and youth-serving organisations, including students of social work with the tools to start important, non judgmental conversations about Mental health and well being.

We have used this innovation to upskill 117 care experienced youth to become “wellbeing champions”. These wellbeing champions have provided peer wellbeing support to youth in their communities.

Additionally, we have also trained 80 social work practitioners and youth serving professionals to use the toolkit to support children and young people.

Final Report: Youth Wellbeing Champions Pilot in Uganda

The report “Youth Wellbeing Champions: Piloting Community-Based, Youth Peer-Led Mental Health and Wellbeing Support for Young People in Uganda” presents the findings from a comprehensive study conducted as part of a proof-of-concept pilot intervention, implemented over 15 months.

The study involved structured interviews with young people with lived experience of care, community youths, and social workers.

Mental health is a seldom-discussed issue in Uganda. Available interventions are mostly reactive, reaching individuals only when they are in a vulnerable state. Studies indicate that mental health issues affect 10-20% of children and young people worldwide, with 90% of those affected living in low- and middle-income countries. This report aims to shed light on mental health challenges in Uganda and highlight the potential of community-based, peer-led support systems to improve mental health and wellbeing among young people in Uganda.

Reclaiming hope and belonging for youth leaving institutional care in Uganda

The toolkit

The toolkit is made up of a 4 part video series and a guidebook, developed to address the gap in integrated mental health and well-being support for vulnerable youth, and children, at risk in their community with little or no access to early interventions that address mental health and well being concerns.

We hope that the toolkit will be used by social work professionals, youth workers, parents and carers to empower young people with lived experience of care and others that have experienced trauma, through a compassionate approach to changing perceptions and stigma surrounding mental health.

Video Lessons

Download the guidebook

The toolkit was developed through a learning partnership that included care-experienced youth and final year social work students from Makerere University in Kampala, with input from our psychologist, mental health experts, a commissioner for mental health in the national government and community leaders.

Designed to Fit Into Your Schedule

We have designed this experience to fit into your life. Only 10 minutes? That’s okay. You can just watch one episode at a time. It is actually best digested over time and we recommend leaving time in between the episodes to process the videos and fully engage in the learning experience.

Watch it as a Group

Another ideal way to utilise and process the videos and guidebook is with a group. Learning socially, alongside others, in conversation together, is an effective and powerful way to integrate new material. The guidebook activities, and discussion questions included for each episode could serve as a guide for the group facilitator.

Share your experience using the toolkit

Let us know how you found the videos and the guidebook. Did you find the toolkit useful? Share your feedback now.