#MentalHealthMatters Highlighting the need for mental health awareness among South African youth
In June, the media lights up with campaigns streaming in from various mediums targeted at the youth. The month of June in South Africa is recognised as Youth Month in commemoration of the June 16 1976, Soweto Uprising. In celebrating Youth Day, the Johannesburg campus of the SAE Institute of South Africa, a private, film and creative media university, in collaboration with the Mental Wellness Initiative (MWI), held a mental health campaign. The premise of the campaign was to bring awareness of mental health issues, helping students to recognise the symptoms and know where to get help. MWI, who facilitated the round-table discussion, is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation whose work includes programmes relating to mental wellness within civil society, the government, private and education sectors. The national theme for this year’s youth month is “promoting sustainable livelihoods and resilience of young people for a better tomorrow”, with a call for action to “forge resilience and pursue opportunities for a sustainable livelihood, today and in the future."
“It is estimated that 1 in 4 people worldwide will experience some form of mental health problem during their lifetime." WHO, 2001 If we are to build a resilient future workforce, mental wellness needs to be the bedrock of every development agenda. The youth are the future of South Africa, and it is imperative that they are empowered and supported alongside. As a follow up to the Youth Day campaign, the Collective Action Magazine (CAM) team held an interview with Bern Bouwer a lecturer at SAE Johannesburg Campus, to get his perspective on the need for greater awareness of mental health within the tertiary education system.
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