Psychosocial Wellbeing and Mental Health

La campaña "Y si… la salud mental la tejemos entre todxs" buscó normalizar el cuidado preventivo de la salud mental en jóvenes de zonas rurales y territorios colombianos afectados por la violencia y en comunidades históricamente excluidas como los pueblos Nasa (Kwet Wala) y Misak (Misak Piscitau).
La metodología implementó un enfoque diferencial y étnico, realizando un diagnóstico de conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas con jóvenes de estas zonas a través de metodologías que incluyeron arte y lúdica como herramientas para la escucha social. Este proceso de generación participativa de evidencias permitió identificar la persistencia de estereotipos de género y diferencias culturales en el afrontamiento emocional. Así, no se realizó una única campaña de impacto sombrilla sobre salud mental y bienestar, sino que ajustaron las estrategias de acuerdo a las necesidades de las subregiones priorizadas (Antioquia, rabia; Montes de María, bullying; Cauca, desarmonía; y Valle del Cauca, confianza)
Los mensajes fueron co-creados en armonía con la cosmovisión local. Se ajustó la terminología para promover la salud mental como Buen Vivir (Wet wet finxze Nasa) o Buen Andar (Tap unamik Misak), respetando los rituales ancestrales de armonización y cateo.
La campaña utilizó una estrategia multi-canal, priorizando la presencia análoga en los territorios y los medios comunitarios que tienen alta cobertura rural. El objetivo fue generar cambios de consciencia alrededor de un tema tabú y censurado en estas comunidades, lograr identificación y conexión con síntomas, conectar con la causa y el origen y disponer las rutas y accesos de atención diferenciados por región.

Graduation programs; designed to lift refugees and host communities out of extreme poverty often focus on financial inputs, skills training, and service linkages. However, these approaches may fall short if participants lack belief in their ability to succeed. Evidence from the SMILES Graduation Program highlights self-efficacy-the belief that one can achieve goals as a key driver of lasting behavioral change and resilience.
SMILES demonstrate that self-efficacy is nurtured not only individually but also through human connection. Role models inspire, coaches build confidence, and peer groups provide encouragement, showing how Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) strengthens knowledge and action. Using the pillars of I Can, I Have, and I Am, the program integrates strategies such as structured coaching, group approach, role models and skills training such as Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA), financial literacy, nutrition, parenting, and conflict management, among others.
Results show remarkable impact: self-efficacy scores rose from 30.5% at baseline to 99.8% after 24 months, with graduation rates reaching 93.6%. Beyond statistics, participants gained problem-solving skills, and renewed motivation. The evidence highlights that sustainable graduation of participants out of extreme poverty demands for reawakening self-belief, enabling participants to become agents of change in their families and communities in addition to economic inputs.

The Coining Campaign within the JiK'iZinto ecosystem represents an innovative, youth-driven approach to advancing mental-health literacy (MHL) and reducing stigma through language co-creation. Grounded in Jorm's (1997, 2000) framework, which defines MHL as the knowledge and beliefs that assist in the recognition, management, and prevention of mental disorders, the campaign reimagined how young people express emotional wellbeing by transforming clinical or abstract terminology into everyday, relatable language. Through participatory "coining" exercises, adolescents and young people were invited to create new words and phrases,"coins", in local languages, dialects, and youth slang that capture the nuances of emotions, stress, and self-care.
This process was operationalised across the JiK'iZinto ecosystem, leveraging Big Sis chatbot quizzes, social-media challenges, and community-based activations with civil society partners (CBOs) to gather, validate, and celebrate the emerging lexicon. The participatory exercise resulted in the creation of a dynamic Jik'tionary, a living, youth-authored repository of mental-health expressions that reflect South Africa's linguistic and cultural diversity.
By localising emotional vocabulary and grounding mental-health dialogue in youth idioms, the campaign enhanced comprehension, normalised help-seeking, and fostered belonging among participants. Early insights suggest that when young people name their emotions in ways that resonate culturally, self-stigma decreases and openness to seeking support increases (Song et al., 2023; Thornicroft et al., 2022). The Coining Campaign thus demonstrates how language innovation, powered by digital and community engagement, can strengthen inclusive, contextually relevant approaches to wellbeing and behavior change communication across Africa.

This study explored whether it is possible and/or efficacious to deliver mental health self-help programmes through a social and behaviour change (SBC) radio campaign. This was done by adapting a well-evidenced self-help intervention for mental health (WHO's Step-by-Step programme) from a series of five-online modules into 26 pre-recorded 1-2 minute radio spots. The radio spots were written by Zambian scriptwriters, using dramatic and empathic calls to action for mental health self-help and support.  
Three of the five Step-by-Step modules were deemed appropriate for adaptation, and qualitative research indicated that message comprehension was good, with many listeners reporting putting the recommendations into practice. The campaign resulted in statistically significant reductions in depression and anxiety that were robust to a number of pre-planned and post-hoc sensitivity analyses.  
This pilot study is the first of its kind to demonstrate, firstly, that it is feasible to adapt an internet-based mental health self-help intervention for delivery via radio and, secondly, that this radio-based intervention may significantly improve depression and anxiety outcomes. Whilst a more rigorous trial is needed to add confidence to these encouraging pilot results, they are nonetheless promising, particularly because the observed effect sizes are in line with other more robust studies, and because radio campaigns have the potential to be highly cost effective, easily scaled, and are more accessible than either formalised care or internet-based mHealth interventions for poorer, rural populations.