Small Actions, Big Impact: Celebrating Youth Mental Health Advocates
This Mental Health Day, we are celebrating the youth who are helping shine a spotlight on mental health in Laos.
As the world commemorates World Mental Health Day 2025, communities everywhere are reflecting on the importance of mental health, especially for young people. In Laos, it’s a moment to celebrate the power of youth-led action in advancing the discourse on mental health.
Under Project Sinxay: Youth Champions, an initiative implemented in partnership with the Lao Youth Union and supported by the UNICEF International Council, youth across Laos are stepping forward as leaders and proving that even the smallest actions, when done with purpose, can leave a meaningful and positive impact on their communities. Throughout this year, three standout young advocates from Project Sinxay: Youth Champions have been working tirelessly to raise awareness around mental health issues through a combination of workshops and peer-to-peer activities – all with the aim of breaking the stigma around the topic.
Mental Health Changemakers
Led by Khamlar, the Vientiane-based Mental Health Changemakers initiative began with a simple yet powerful idea: creating spaces for young people to talk about their emotional and mental struggles. His activity focused on interactive dialogues and educational sessions, including how to be a supportive friend, being an active and empathetic listener and how to nurture self-esteem. These were not just workshops but more importantly, safe spaces where youth felt seen, heard, and supported.
Most of us as youth face common challenges when it comes to self-development and finding our identity. That’s why we need to step up and take action, not just for ourselves, but for each other
Khamlar’s team also developed take-home resources and social media content to extend their impact beyond in-person gatherings. “The content that my team provided to them has been continuously in use since. After the workshop was finished, some of them (participants) reached out to me if they could use those resources to create their own initiative. That was the impact that I can see,” shared Khamlar.
Heal and Rise
In Savannakhet province, Boumbim and her friends have spearheaded another mental health initiative, among the few of its kind in the province, called Heal and Rise. Through a series of workshops, Boumbim and her friends went to rural areas of the province to share information and help promote emotional self-awareness among local youth experiencing stress, loneliness or low self-esteem, especially those from more disadvantaged or of ethnic background who are rarely, or if ever, exposed to the concept of mental health and wellness. They covered topics like gender equality, self-expression, and bullying - issues especially relevant in an environment.
“I had to adapt the content because the participants are from different backgrounds. It was challenging and all this was very new to them. However, by the end of the workshop I noticed the young people became more aware of how they speak and interact with others. That’s a good start,” explained Boumbim.
This was my first time organizing [a workshop] like this, and it really showed me how a small group of friends can spark big change. It was the first time many young people in my hometown felt truly heard.
“They (participants) questioned why they have never heard about this topic (mental health) before, even though it is important for young people. I’m so proud to make it happen but it has also shown us that we need someone to bring this topic to the table so others can know more about it. This is the first time but I’m sure, it won’t be the last time.”
Boumbim, Team Leader, Heal and Rise
WELL…because you matter!
Driven by his own desire to understand the mental health struggles of his friends, Ekasith founded a peer-to-peer mental health initiative called WELL that focuses on inspiring the next generation of youth mental health advocates. His initiative focuses on teaching young people basic mental wellness tips, establishing peer-to-peer support networks and regular information sessions with mental health experts on various topics.
Today, Ek and his team continues to expand WELL by training a new cohort of young mental health advocates across schools and communities - a new generation of compassionate leaders who prioritize emotional well-being and encourage others around them to do so as well.
We’ve now trained 19 mental health advocates and they’re each going back to their own communities to raise awareness. That, to me, is powerful.
These youth-led efforts are not just one-off projects but are instead part of a growing movement of mental health advocacy in Laos that is bringing the mental health conversation into the spotlight. The three initiatives, which all began when a single youth was inspired to act in improving their community, have now reached:
- 3,000+ youth in-person through local workshops, peer mentoring and school outreach activities.
- 3,000+ online followers, who regularly engage with educational posts and digital campaigns.
Beyond these numbers, these youth-led advocacy projects have helped normalise discussions around mental health, which is why youth advocacy is essential - young people, when trained and empowered, have the unique ability to connect with their peers in a way that no adults can because they speak the same language with each other and understand what they need best.
