In Latin America and the Caribbean, the mental health of adolescents and young people is in a worrying situation: 16 million live with a diagnosed mental disorder and more than 10 die from suicide every day. To confront this reality, UNICEF launched the podcast «_En mi Mente_» in Chile and seven other countries in the region. [5]» and the _Our Minds Matter_ content hub [6]_ _about mental health, inspiring stories and music playlists for relaxation, focus and sleep.
Starting in 2022, Spotify and UNICEF are working to ensure that young people around the world can access trustworthy and engaging mental health content. The _Our Minds Matter_ content hub was first launched in Ukrainian, Polish and English in June 2023, focusing on responding to the urgent mental health needs of young people affected by the war in Ukraine.
The Spanish version, _A Healthy Mind Matters_, seeks to continue helping to reduce the large gap between the mental health resources that young people need and what is currently available to them. »It is essential that adolescents and young people have the tools that allow them to identify why they may be feeling different emotions and how they can learn to deal with them and confront crisis situations,” said Paolo Mefalopulos, UNICEF Representative in Chile. “This program provides tools to raise awareness regarding mental health care, and to expand the networks and platforms that can help save lives.”
UNICEF’s new podcast, “_En Mi Mente_”, was co-created between experts and young people and based on evidence about mental health needs. The eight episodes developed for season 1 of the “_En Mi Mente_” podcast aim to improve knowledge, attitudes, practices and behaviors among young people specifically related to their mental health. The podcast focuses on:
* Help young people learn about mental health and how to deal with key issues such as stress, depression, anxiety, loss and grief;
* Provide practical tools and resources to support young people facing mental health challenges;
* Breaking stigma to support help-seeking behavior among young people and their communities.
The podcast “In my Mind” is divided into 8 episodes:
* Episode 1 Let’s talk about mental health [7]
* Episode 2: 5 habits to take care of your mental health [8]
* Episode 3: Foster healthy bonds [9]
* Episode 4: 6 tools to manage stress [10]
* Episode 5: Talking to loved ones [11]
* Episode 6: Self-care in stressful times [12]
* Episode 7: 5 ways to cope with anxiety [13]
* Episode 8: Coping with grief and loss [14]
Spotify is also a member of the Global Coalition [15] for Young People’s Mental Health founded by UNICEF with the support of the Z Zurich Foundation. The Coalition is an alliance of partners committed to addressing the growing global burden of mental health in children and youth.
The launch of the podcast «_En mi Mente_» and the _hub_ «_A healthy mind matters_» is part of UNICEF’s commitment to the mental health of adolescents and young people in Latin America. The organization urges governments, educational communities and families to work together to create safe and conducive environments for the mental well-being of new generations.
