The past few weeks have been an especially busy time for mental health gatherings in South Africa. I am still reflecting on the rich discussions and the reconnections made with both existing and new colleagues.
Across all gatherings, the calls for systems reform and stronger community-based care were clear. This is particularly encouraging for us at SAFMH and our Federation of 16 community-based mental health organisations, who provide direct services that support people living with mental health conditions to live within their communities. Greater investment in the work that these organisations do is essential.
A few reflections from the past month:
➡️ At the 2nd South African Mental Health Conference 2025, our Youth Forum’s Nhlalala Baloyi delivered a brilliant keynote address, reminding us that many great movements begin with a conversation, and that we must stay mindful of who is heard, who is not, and what we can do to shift this. I was especially inspired by the collaborative work in the Sedibeng district, where academia, clinicians, and policymakers are working closely together to strengthen mental health services. Key advocacy takeaways for 2026 are the prioritisation of hyper-local, community-driven initiatives, while working to secure sustainable government support and funding. Maintaining and amplifying small-scale efforts is just as important as scaling programmes nationally.
➡️ At the 7th Global Mental Health Summit, discussions also underscored the urgency of turning evidence into action. We already know what works for many things — from social-contact approaches to reduce stigma, to integrating mental health into broader health systems, to experts with experience informing interventions. The message was clear: now is the time to implement our findings in culturally and contextually appropriate ways, refining as we learn. Advocacy must push for policies — and duty-bearers that drive these — that make evidence-based action possible.
➡️ The International Alliance of Mental Health Research Funders convening focused on conversations around how we bridge research and implementation gaps for youth mental health. Key practical advocacy asks include the need to:
- Promote research measures that reflect what matters to young people, people with lived experience, and communities. This includes hope, belonging, and safety.
- Advocate for funders to be flexible in their financing and responsive to implementers’ needs.
- Push for stronger dialogue across power structures to maximise real-world impact.
➡️ At the SNF Global Center / Child Mind Institute Expert Gathering, the value of youth leadership and co-creation in shaping mental health priorities was reinforced. Looking ahead, advocacy efforts should include embedding authentic youth participation in policies, programmes, and research, and promoting cross-sector collaboration to strengthen systems, workforce capacity, and culturally responsive care.
Across all four gatherings, a recurring theme emerged: action-oriented advocacy—using what we already know to improve mental health outcomes, continuously refining our approaches, and ensuring that policy and funding decisions align with the priorities of communities.
Looking ahead to 2026, key advocacy themes for SAFMH will include:
- Strengthening community-based and systems-level mental health care
- Supporting small-scale, hyper-local organisations alongside national programmes
- Bridging research, implementation, and policy through flexible, responsive funding
- Embedding expert by experience and youth leadership in the co-creation of mental health initiatives and policies
To all the organisers and participants across these gatherings: thank you. Having the opportunity to connect and debrief in person is invaluable. Thank you for creating these spaces.
Wonderful gatherings of wonderful humans — inspiring a clear set of advocacy priorities for the year ahead.
