CARIBBEAN-HEALTH-CARICOM to conduct survey on mental health among Caribbean young people.

The Guyana-based Caribbean Community (CARICM) Secretariat Tuesday said it is launching a survey on the mental health and well-being issues experienced by young people across the region.

The survey is being undertaken in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and coincides with World Mental Health Day being today under the theme 'Mental Health is a universal human right'.

The Secretariat said that the survey results will inform activities associated with achieving Goal #3 of the CARICOM Youth Development Action Plan to improve the health and holistic well-being of adolescents and youth and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Target 3 and 4.

Deputy Programme Manager, Youth Development at the CARICOM Secretariat, Michele Small-Bartley, said that the Secretariat, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization ( PAHO), would utilise the results from the data analysis to develop a programme that will seek to build the capacity of youth practitioners and leaders across the Community.

Specifically, the programme would assist practitioners in identifying mental health and psychological signs and symptoms among youth, she said, adding that the trainees would act as first responders to assisting youth with challenges that may lead to mental health, psychological or emotional issues.

The Deputy Programme Manager said that the survey is being implemented at a critical moment for the region, as mental health and youth dominate discussions and agendas of regional and international conferences, including the upcoming 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28)

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