SAFMH continued working with our National Youth Advocacy Forum for 2025-2026. With youth still underrepresented in South Africa’s mental health policy spaces, the forum remains a vital platform for advocacy and empowerment.
Forum members from three provinces, namely KZN, Gauteng, and North West, gathered at the SAFMH offices in Randburg [Gauteng] for the annual in-person meeting. This took place from 26 February to 28 February 2026. There was great excitement among the forum members from the moment the official countdown started a week before the meeting.
Read a summary of the weekend written by Youth Forum Coordinator, Noxolo Colvel, below.
DAY 1: 26 FEBRUARY – INTRODUCTION AND CHECK-IN
The first day started with some reconnecting, followed by a reflective activity, during which each forum member was asked to visually express their journey in the forum through drawing a “creative tree”. Each part of the tree (trunk, branches, roots, leaves) needed to symbolise something meaningful. For example, the roots represented what forum members carried when they started the programme, and the leaves represented what they wished to leave behind. Once everyone completed their artwork, they were displayed in a gallery-style on the walls of the SAFMH conference facility. Within minutes, the room was transformed into a mini exhibition with immense colour, meaning, and emotion, drawn from the inspiring collection of deeply personal and vivid reflections, which captured the uniqueness of each member’s story.
Forum members viewing each other’s “creative trees”
The second session was a more structured and introspective time of reflecting on the overall forum programme over the past eight months. Together, the forum members and SAFMH staff looked at what worked well, what could be improved, and what forum members thought could improve the overall programme for both the existing and incoming forum members [SAFMH will be recruiting a new cohort during 2026, while some existing members will stay on as ‘alumni’].
We ended the day on a high note by gifting our forum members with custom Youth Forum T-shirts, specially designed to reflect their suggestions and preferences.
DAY 02: 27 FEBRUARY – TRAINING AND LEARNING WITH FIGHT WITH INSIGHT
The second day of the meeting brought a different kind of energy. The day was filled with lively conversations, an invigoratingboxing session, dance, laughter, and mindfulness when the Forum members and SAFMH staff visited Fight with Insight, an organisation that operates as the largest amateur boxing gym in the inner-city of Johannesburg, providing youth with a safe space to grow both physically and mentally.
Forum members engaged in boxing training, learning not only the techniques, but also the rich history, culture, and the daily structure and management that shape the Fight with Insight community.
After the workout, the group gathered for a photo, and sat in a circle to share their personal takeaways from the visit. Coach Ayanda from Fight with Insight then guided the group to explore the sensory rooms located across the hall. These rooms were filled with soothing sounds, gentle lighting, calming scents, and irresistibly comfortable seating areas. Going through each room felt like entering an amusement park for the mind and soul. The entire setup evoked peaceful and restorative centering of the mind, making the entire visit wholesome and healing.
Visit to Fight with Insight
The group returned to the SAFMH offices, carrying with them the warmth, lessons, and reflections of the morning’s experiences. The forum members then gathered again to unpack their individual experiences. One by one, they shared what had resonated with them most, reflecting on the art of and the discipline associated with boxing, the sense of community within Fight with Insight, the emotional safety captured in the sensory rooms, and the powerful blend of movement and mental well-being associated with the whole experience.
As each person shared, it became clear that many felt that the visit complemented last year’s visit to Central Gauteng Mental Health’s residential facility, Gordonia, where the group had seenand experienced some of the services that mental health care users made use of in their immediate community in the city of Johannesburg.
The group finished off the day with the eagerly anticipated games night, where everyone joined in on a competitive but fun experience.
DAY 03: 28 FEBRUARY LUNCH AND CLOSING
The last day was an emotional one as the meeting was closed off for 2026.
The group started the day with a mindful yoga session in the beautiful SAFMH gardens, which invited everyone to be present in their bodies and breathe into the experience of the moment. Afterwards, everyone sat for an engaging session on professionalising advocacy, led by SAFMH deputy director, Leon de Beer. His insights into advocacy as a passion and career, along with employment-related issues such as effective CV writing skills, offered clarity, guidance and encouragement to Forum members. He left the young people feeling like their voices can have an impact and intentionality beyond the forum.
The forum members then shared their final reflections on their overall forum experience in an intimate, heartfelt space where laughter intertwined with tears as forum members and SAFMH staff expressed gratitude, pride, and hope for the futures the forum members were stepping into.
Once the session was finished, everyone moved out into the garden again to take photos. The atmosphere was alive with joy as memories were captured, alongside a relaxed lunch filled with chatter, smiles, and lingering moments of connection.
The time for departure came, and hugs were held a little tighter, goodbyes stretched a little longer, and as each person prepared to go home, the emotions in the air were a testament to the depth of the bonds formed over the months. It was a meaningful and heartfelt farewell. Here’s to the next meeting in 2027!
Read more about our National Youth Advocacy Forum here.
