Prevention and Youth Mental Health: Evidence-Based Policymaking

Across many countries, youth mental health is a growing societal challenge. This symposium explores innovative community based prevention strategies to improve youth mental health. It offers evidence and practical insights that can inform investments in community prevention programmes and guide future policy and programme development.

Across many countries, youth mental health is a growing societal challenge. This symposium explores innovative community based prevention strategies to improve youth mental health. While traditional approaches focus on treating illness, prevention initiatives aim to reduce risks and strengthen protective factors that promote well-being. Schools, for example, offer a setting where young people are easily reached and social connections more easily fostered.

In Germany, new national prevention legislation and funding are facilitating major investments in community prevention programmes, including those designed specifically to support young people. This symposium offers evidence and practical insights that can inform these investments and guide future policy and programme development.

A central theme of the symposium is youth disadvantage: how it is defined, measured, and monitored in ways that can meaningfully improve outcomes. The panel ‘Understanding and Tackling Youth Disadvantage through Data’ convenes experts from Germany, Australia, and Sweden to offer diverse perspectives and approaches.

The second panel, ‘School-Based Prevention Approaches to Mental Health’, examines schools as platforms for prevention and features academics, foundation executives, and programme directors, including those addressing complex concerns such as chronic absenteeism.

Finally, the session on ‘Social Media, Cell Phones and Youth Well-Being’ brings together policymakers, public authorities, and academics to discuss evidence on social media use and practical challenges of digital life.
Combined, these sessions offer a comprehensive and forward-looking examination of the community prevention landscape. The organisers look forward to engaging the audience in thoughtful discussion and collaboration around these critical topics.

Registration

Please register by 31 May.

Location

College for Social Sciences and Humanities, Essen

Organisers

• Prof. Alison Evans Cuellar / George Mason University (USA) | Health Administration and Policy; E-mail: alison.evanscuellar(at)uni-due.de
• Prof. Martin Karlsson / University of Duisburg-Essen | Health Economics; E-mail: martin.karlsson(at)uni-due.de
• Prof. Daniel Kühnle / University of Duisburg-Essen | Economics; E-mail: daniel.kuehnle(at)uni-due.de

Mehr Informationen (LINK)