Our Global Conference Series
The GenMH Conference Series brings together young people, researchers, practitioners, and lived experience leaders to explore the future of global mental health.
Our conferences aim to:
- Create accessible global spaces for dialogue and dissemination
- Elevate lived‑experience leadership
- Strengthen cross‑regional collaboration
- Highlight emerging research and innovations
200+
attendees on average participate in our conferences each year
95% of attendees rate our conferences 4 stars or above
20+
countries represented across our conference speakers and attendees
76%
of conference attendees are below the age of 30.
Our 2025 Conference
Bridging Voices, Building Futures:
Youth Innovation in Mental Health
A regional hub for youth-led innovation
Our very first conference taking place in the Global South, the 2025 event brought together over 100 participants from across East Africa and beyond, bringing youth leaders, researchers, and lived‑experience advocates into a shared space for innovation. The region’s rich diversity shaped every part of the programme, creating a hub where new ideas, community‑rooted practices, and youth‑led solutions could flourish.
Empowering learning through creative methods of dissemination
The conference celebrated many forms of expression beyond traditional panel discussions, including art, storytelling, multimedia performance, and culturally rooted practices.
Our most accessible conference yet!
Our goal was to create a conference space that was genuinely accessible for both participants and presenters. This year, 37% of speakers were first‑time presenters, and over 85% of attendees joined us from LMICs. In line with our commitment to equity, we were able to provide fee waivers to 75% of participants, ensuring that cost was never a barrier to meaningful engagement.
Collaborate with Us
Partner with us to help bring the next conference to life. Get in touch to explore collaboration and co-creation opportunities.
Our Previous Conferences
2021
The 2021 GenMH Conference offered a dynamic set of panels exploring how global systems, from climate and migration to gender, incarceration, and digital media, shape mental health. With contributions from researchers, practitioners, youth leaders, and lived‑experience advocates, the programme highlighted underrepresented communities and uplifted culturally grounded, youth‑driven approaches to change.
2022
The 2022 GenMH Conference featured a multi‑day program of panels, workshops, and community spaces focused on global mental health equity. The conference explored how intersecting social, political, and environmental systems shape mental health worldwide, highlighting youth‑driven solutions, culturally grounded approaches, and collaborative pathways for change.
2024
For Global Youth, By Global Youth
The 2024 Virtual Conference centred youth leadership in global mental health through sessions on climate justice, community‑driven care, digital wellbeing, and the future of mental health systems. The conference highlighted intersectional challenges facing young people, including environmental anxiety, social inequities, and digital harms, while showcasing innovative, culturally grounded approaches to advocacy, policy, and collective healing.
