Prime Minister promises to put mental health on the G7 agenda on behalf of young people
Sunday 13 june 2021
Boris Johnson is set to push for mental health to be on the final G7 communique, as a direct result of the Youth 7’s policy recommendations, as reported by Politico and City AM.
Johnson told representatives from the Youth 7 on Thursday, at the G7’s International Media Centre, that he would push G7 leaders to include a statement on mental health “because of what young people [the Y7] had been saying to him”. The Youth 7 welcomes this statement and looks forward to seeing bold action on mental health included in the final G7 communiqué.
The Y7 has been advocating for the importance of mental health, and other key priorities across the economy, health, environment and digital and technology since February 2021.
In May 2021, after consulting with 10,000 young people around the world, young leaders from each of the G7 countries, plus the EU and Australia, announced their recommendations for world leaders.
The Y7 delegates presented these priorities - emphasising mental health as a key priority for young people and calling on world leaders to take action to improve, support and empower young people struggling with mental health conditions - at meetings with G7 Ministers and officials. They have held two conversations with U.K. G7 Sherpa Jonathan Black on the matter too. Sophie Daud, CEO of Future Leaders Network and Chair of this year’s Y7, met with the Prime Minister in May 2021, highlighting the importance of young people’s mental health, and Evie Asinall, U.K. Y7 Head Delegate, met with the Prime Minister just before the start of the G7 and received his positive assurance it would be raised in this year’s Leaders’ declaration.
A survey report, commissioned by the Future Leaders Network and conducted by Opinium, showed that 56% of the UK’s youth ranked mental health as their top health priority.
The youth recommendations have focused on “Making Waves for Future Generations”. Envisaging a world which recognises the mental health needs of its recipients, the youth delegates call on G7 leaders to:
Introduce mental health stigma eradication measures through incorporating educational curricula changes and targeted campaigns immediately, and train young people so they can adequately support their peers facing mental health crises.
Provide universal, accessible, affordable mental health care services both as part of primary care provision and in convenient environments such as educational and workplace settings, where youth may seek help.
Include youth directly in designing, delivering, promoting and evaluating mental health services intended for them by valuing their expertise and lived experience through data- based processes, including disaggregated data analyses.
Whilst the Youth 7 will welcome bold commitments on mental health, they argue that the world leaders should have been much more ambitious on their global vaccination rollout pledge and to have pledged significantly more funding for girls’ education globally.
Commenting on mental health, Haarith Ndiaye, the UK Health Delegate, said:
“Even before the pandemic, young people’s mental health was in crisis. One year on from when COVID-19 first became a lived reality in the UK and after a series of national lockdowns, we’re more desperate for help than we’ve ever been. Bereavement, isolation, fear, and economic deprivation have struck the nation and young people have been disproportionately affected.”
At a media briefing, The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson, said:
“Mental health [...] is a really important issue for the Prime Minister. And we recognise the impact that this pandemic has had on mental health, particularly on the mental health of young people who have perhaps bore the brunt of this in many ways.”
Commenting, Sophie Daud, CEO of the Future Leaders Network, said:
“We welcome this commitment by the Prime Minister to putting mental health at the heart of the G7 and look forward to seeing this translated into bold commitments in the final communiqué. However, young people made 36 recommendations to the G7 and there is still a long way to go to deliver the major societal changes needed for the sake of future generations.”
The Youth 7 (Y7) is one of six engagement groups supported by the U.K. Government during its 2021 G7 Presidency, with the others being the Business 7, Civil Society 7, Labour 7, Science 7 and Women 7.
The Y7 2021 is hosted by the Future Leaders Network and the Summit took place virtually on 8 - 9 May and 14 - 15 May.
Notes to the Editor:
For more information about the support available to young people in the UK, particularly our Youth 7 opportunity, please visit our website: https://www.futureleaders.network
For interviews or more information, please contact Sophie Daud – Chief Executive, directly on +44 7788 990041 or at sophie.daud@futureleaders.network.
About Future Leaders Network
Future Leaders Network is a not-for-profit organisation aimed at discovering and developing the next generation of social, economic and political leaders in the United Kingdom. We are revolutionising the leadership development landscape, by equipping young people with the leadership experience, skills and network they need to deliver positive change in the world.
We make a difference today with the leaders of tomorrow.
Since 2011, we have selected and supported young leaders to represent the U.K. at the G7 and G20 Youth Summits. In 2021, in line with the U.K.’s G7 Presidency, the Future Leaders Network was appointed to Chair and deliver the Youth 7 (Y7) process.
Website: https://www.futureleaders.network
About the Youth 7 (Y7) 2021
Youth 7 is one of six engagement groups of the Group of 7 (G7) supported by the U.K. Government in its 2021 G7 Presidency, the others being Women 7, C7 (non-governmental organizations), Labour 7, Business 7, and Science 7. The engagement groups are involved at every level of G7 activities, including meetings with the Sherpas, Ministers and expert groups, through to the Leaders’ Summit. They prepare recommendations for each G7 Presidency.
The Youth 7 Summit took place virtually on 14 - 15 May 2021, with thousands of young people from all over the world joining on a professional event platform or live-streaming two days’ worth of keynote speakers, presentations and workshops.
Read the full Y7 communique here: https://www.futureleaders.network/y7-call-to-action
About Haarith Ndiaye:
Haarith Ndiaye is the Y7 2021 UK Delegate for Health.
Haarith is also an academic junior doctor working within the NHS where he spreads his time across direct clinical care, original scientific research, and teaching. He is pursuing a career within global health, particularly in the field of policy, advocacy, and humanitarian aid – a position that would allow him to influence wide-ranging policies beneficial to disadvantaged and under-represented groups both locally and internationally. In his spare time, he undertakes important work in two international healthcare start-ups, works with a number of charities increasing accessibility to higher education in disadvantaged communities and works to promote quality improvement within the NHS.
About Sophie Daud:
Sophie is the Chief Executive of Future Leaders Network.
Sophie Daud is an award-winning public servant, who is passionate about youth empowerment and leadership development. She began her career in the U.K. Government, where she combined her scientific training with problem solving skills to tackle some of the country's most challenging social policy issues, ranging from long-term unemployment to child poverty. In 2019, Sophie was named as a “Rising Star in the Public Sector”, awarded by WeAreTheCity after a competitive selection process.
In 2016, she was selected to represent the United Kingdom at the Youth G7 in Tokyo, Japan, the official youth engagement group for the G7 Heads of State summit. Since then, Sophie has campaigned tirelessly to support the development of a new cohort of young leaders, and championing their voices in national and international decision making.
She was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Future Leaders Network in January 2019 and is looking forward to hosting the Youth G7 in 2021 when the U.K. hosts the G7 Presidency. She is particularly committed to ensuring that the Summit includes a wide range of diverse voices, including young people who are typically underrepresented in formal democratic processes. In 2021, she was named as the “Most Influential CEO in London, U.K.” by CEOMonthly magazine.