World Economic Forum exalts Bogota's efforts in youth mental health

The World Economic Forum has just published recognition for four initiatives that will provide innovative solutions for systematic inequities arising from the COVID-19 pandemic in the world through its "UpLink" platform. One of those initiatives is “citiesRISE” in which Bogota participates, through the Health Secretariat, alongside Chennai, Nairobi, Sacramento and Seattle. This initiative aims to take care of the mental health of young people because of isolation, anxiety, depression, among other negative externalities generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In early 2019, the District Secretariat of Health and the international organization "citiesRISE" signed an alliance to work together to design workshops, initiatives and a creative campaign focused on turning Bogota into a mental health-friendly city, with an emphasis on the young population. In that year, the Youth Challenge Award was held in which 19 youth organizations participated, among which were selected 5 initiatives by "citiesRISE", which received an economic award to give sustainability and viability to their projects.

In 2020, despite all the added challenges derived from the pandemic, the five youth organizations carried out their projects funded by "citiesRISE" where art and sport were the tool for social transformation, multiplying knowledge about mental health in their communities. This process was accompanied by workshops with mental health experts from the District Secretariat of Health and other organizations such as the Colombian College of Psychologists, Community Works and the University of Washington, with the aim of leveraging the capabilities of young leaders of organizations; effort also helped the other organizations that did not win the Youth Challenge Award to stay in touch, which ended up creating a Youth Network regarding mental health in Bogota.

In 2021, the District Secretariat of Health will continue its work with these organizations in a creative campaign on youth mental health in Bogota, addressing issues including mental health destigmatization; identifying risks and mental disorders; and accessibility to the offer of district services to care for mental health.

Here you can see the news published by the World Economic Forum:

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/4-innovations-making-the-worlds-response-to-covid-19-more-equal/

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