Bridging Voices, Building Futures

This year’s Generation Mental Health Conference shines a spotlight on the creativity, resilience, and leadership of young people in shaping the future of mental health. Bridging Voices, Building Futures reflects a growing global movement that values lived experience, centers inclusion, and drives innovative approaches to healing and care.

For the first time ever, the conference will be held both virtually and in person in the Global South, with Kenya as the host country. This important step opens the door for deeper connections across borders, amplifies underrepresented voices, and brings global attention to local innovations that are often overlooked.

In a world where mental health challenges continue to grow, this theme invites us to listen, co-create, and act. It is a call to build bridges between communities, cultures, and generations—grounded in empathy and led by youth. Together, we are not just imagining new futures for mental health—we are building them.

This year's conference sub-themes

Healing in Color

 This sub-theme honors the mental health practices rooted in cultural, traditional and spiritual systems. It centers the voices and wisdom of communities that have long relied on faith, family and ancestral practices to heal and thrive.

Connection Over Correction

 Here, we focus on how care and community can replace systems built on punishment or isolation. This theme uplifts collective care, solidarity and the social conditions that shape our mental health, especially in marginalized communities.

Silent No More

 Youth are rising as powerful changemakers through art, storytelling and activism. This theme celebrates how creative expression, lived experience and advocacy are breaking the silence and driving real impact in mental health spaces.

Digital Innovation in Mental Health

 Technology is changing how we access and experience mental health care. This sub-theme explores the rise of tools like teletherapy, mental health apps and online communities that are expanding support and reducing stigma. At the same time, it invites a critical look at the risks that come with this digital shift, including issues around privacy, misinformation and over-reliance on unregulated platforms. It also acknowledges the ongoing challenge of the digital divide, which continues to exclude many from these advancements.

Structural Change Beyond Awareness

 Raising awareness is not enough. This theme pushes for lasting change through new policies, funding strategies and community-led models that move beyond talk to real transformation in mental health systems.

New to the GenMH Conference this year, we are looking to our community for the conference sessions you would like to offer to work towards this new future. We are currently accepting proposals for conference sessions, including workshops, creative presentations, panels, and posters.

🗓️ Updated Submission Deadline: Applications now closed for 2025

Our conversation will focus on the following priority sub-themes:

• 🎨 Healing in Color
• 🤝 Connection over Correction
• 📣 Silent No More
• 💻 Digital Innovation in Mental Health
• 🏛️ Structural Change Beyond Awareness

Applicants can choose from a range of session options:

Oral Presentation (Virtual & In-Person)

A 10–15 minute individual talk sharing research, lived experience, project insights, or personal narratives.

Ideal for:

• Presenters with individual stories, advocacy experiences, learnings from implementation, or research project findings
  
• Early-career professionals or youth leaders

Workshop (Virtual & In-Person)

An interactive 60 minute session focused on skill-building, training, or experiential learning.

Ideal for:

• Facilitators with experience leading group sessions
  Advocates aiming to equip participants with tools or frameworks
  

Symposium (Virtual & In-Person)

A structured session with 3–5 short presentations on a shared theme, followed by discussion or Q&A.

Ideal for:

• Academic or thematic groups
  
• Regional coalitions or joint project
  
• Research teams

Poster Presentations (In-Person Only)

Poster presentations are a visual way to share research, community programs, or advocacy work, especially those led by or for youth and individuals with lived experience. Posters will be displayed during the in-person conference day in Nairobi.

Creative or Artistic Presentation(Virtual & In-Person)
A performance, short film, visual art display, or multimedia presentation that explores conference themes.

Ideal for:

• Youth artists, storytellers, and creatives
  
• Projects using non-traditional formats to spark dialogue

For more information on each session option, see the list of important documents below.

For more information on the conference session applications, please click on the below links to download the guidance documents.

General FAQs

What is a hybrid conference?

The 2025 GenMH Conference is going to combine in person as well as virtual activities making it a hybrid conference. The in person component including poster sessions will take place in Kenya. 

What is the theme? 

The theme of the conference is Bridging Voices, Building Futures and we hope to shine a light on creativity, resilience, and leadership of young people in shaping the future of mental health. 

Is there more than one theme?

No, but the conference presentations will be categorized into five sub-themes as we want to focus our conversation on these sub-themes. These are: Healing in Color, Connection over Correction, Silent No More, Digital Innovtion in Mental Health, Structural Change Beyond Awareness. These sub-themes are what the conversation will focus on. 

Can we have virtual participants at the conference?

Yes, we have a day when the conference will be virtual when virtual participants can be present. However, the in-person session will not be streamed and can only accommodate in person participants. 

Are there certificates or awards?

Yes, we will likely have certificates of participation for our attendees. 

Applying to present at the conference FAQs

How to apply?

• Make sure your presentation falls under one of the subthemes listed above.
• Decide whether you want to present an oral presentation, a workshop, a symposium as a group, a poster presentation or a creative presentation.
• Check Submission Guidelines on our website.
• Write a 100 word bio of yourself
• Write a 300 description 
• Submit your information on the Google Form above!

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for advocates and grassroots organizers. Someone with powerful lived experience. We are looking for young leaders, mental health advocates, researchers, and community change makers. If you have something meaningful to share, this is your platform. 

Do I need to be an expert to apply?

No, this conference is for people who are early in their career. There is no need to have any formal training in order to submit. 

Can we submit preliminary findings or ongoing research?

While completed work is preferred, if you are submitting ongoing research we would like you to consider and focus your presentation on the implications of your work, and the research methods you employed. Our focus is on whether your presentation is interesting for people to learn about.

What is the oral presentation? 

Speakers selected to present their work to the conference will be given 15 minutes to share their research findings, lived experience and project insights. We are looking for someone who is passionate, and prepared! Early career professional and youth leaders are encouraged to apply to give oral presentations.

Is the poster presentation only on the in-person day? 

Yes. 

Is the conference specific to Kenya or can we present information on other countries as well?

Presentations can be based on any country. We are hoping this will be a global conference.