The Being Initiative Learning and Support Network
In 2024, Orygen joined an international mental health collaboration, Being, to play a leadership role in a new program aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of young people in 12 low-and middle-income countries.
Being supports young people’s mental health by funding research, innovation, and ecosystem-building that is focused on prevention, promotion and the identification of early drivers of mental health challenges.
The initiative is hosted by Grand Challenges Canada, with support from Orygen Global and four other partners, Fondation Botnar, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Science for Africa Foundation, and United for Global Mental Health.
As world leaders in research and knowledge translation, Orygen’s key role in the collaboration is to spearhead the Being Learning and Support Network for successful funding applicants.
The Being Learning and Support Network will focus on providing technical support, facilitating knowledge exchange, promoting best practices, and supporting the distribution of Being’s collective impact with global innovators.
Orygen Global has partnered with seven leading organisations to establish Regional Hubs in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
The Regional Hubs will be led by the Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy (South Asia), Catalina Popoviciu (Eastern Europe), Fundación Kindred (Latin America), Ganizo (Sub-Saharan Africa), Nivishe (Sub-Saharan Africa), Mekdes Demissie (Sub-Saharan Africa), Mohamed Khalis (the Middle East and North Africa) and Universitas Gadjah Mada (ASEAN).
The hub approach ensures the innovators receive support that is informed by a deep understanding of the social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors that shape communities and can facilitate connections between peers and regional stakeholders.
Additionally, Orygen Global’s expertise and existing sector and stakeholder relationships support opportunities for collaboration and ongoing sustainability of projects. Enabling initiatives to create a lasting impact that extends beyond the grant period.
Orygen Global’s Being Learning and Support Network undertakes a needs assessment with each project in the network. The results of these assessments allow for the provision of support that is tailored to region- and project-specific needs. By identifying gaps and priorities in how the projects progress, the needs assessment will help the Being Learning Network facilitate knowledge-sharing, strengthen capacity and guide resource and support allocation.
View the Being Needs Assessment report.
The Being Learning and Support Network also hosts an annual Global Gathering of the youth mental health innovators for intensive networking, collaboration and knowledge sharing. These Gatherings enable attendees to forge connections, share insights and draw inspiration from each other to strengthen youth mental health innovations around the globe.
View the Being Global Gathering Snapshot 2024 report.