Imagining an Inclusive Space for Youth Voices in Policymaking through Art
By Sakiko Yamaguchi, Kiakhur Ijaz and Joshua Bell
With growing concerns about youth well-being and mental health in the wake of and continued aftermath of COVID-19, youth participation in public policy is a growing momentum in Canada and globally. Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child states that “children (i.e., people under the age of 18 years) have the right to express their views freely in all matters that affect them.” Beyond the rights, youth participation in decision-making is useful for designing and evaluating policies, programs, and services, leading to the effective service delivery meeting young people’s diverse needs.
However, in the arena of youth mental health policymaking, multifaceted barriers exist. For instance, limited accessibility to the internet and transportation and lack of practical support (e.g., compensation, clear communication, peer support) and flexible scheduling limit the inclusion of children and youth from diverse groups. In addition to this, even if youth are given space to participate and influence policy initiatives, a lack of power-sharing, adult feedback, and accountability oftentimes make their participation tokenized and makes them feel like their thoughts and contributions are not taken seriously.
In this context, we launched a call for youth artwork submission in October 2023 to create a space for youth to be active agents in influencing youth mental health policies. Youth from around the world were invited to submit their artworks that present their visions and diverse ideas of a more inclusive space for mental health policymaking.
We had dozens of youth participants between the ages of 15 and 26 from Bangladesh, Canada, and Kenya submit their artworks in the forms of painting and poem (Please visit the online gallery) . The review panel consisting of youth who have extensive experiences in mental health advocacy work evaluated all the submitted artworks from the aspects of originality, creativity, clarity of the message, diversity and inclusivity, and the overall quality. While each piece is unique, we found emerging messages that were highlighted in the artworks:
Diversity and inclusivity: Everyone’s voice matters. Adults play an important role to make sure that certain groups of youth who may not necessarily be given an equal seat at a table, such as minors, are involved in the policy making process.
Power of collective voices: Youth’s agency to express and share their ideas and take actions should not be hampered by adult assumption of their superior position relative to the young person (adultism).
Break stigma: Stigma associated with mental illness may limit the value of lived experience in shaping mental health policies relevant to youth needs. However, leveraging compassion for mental health challenges can generate hope and strength, allowing youth with lived experience to not only to seek help but also to be empowered to amplify collective voices to inform decisions.
Through this artwork project, we have seen the power of art as an effective medium to raise mental health awareness and generate dialogues around various issues. As the submitted artworks show, youth’s collective voices and lived experiences have the potential to push forward youth mental health agenda and promote mental health and well-being, while challenging existing stigma and adult biases.
Acknowledgment
We acknowledge all youth participants who submitted their artworks, financial support from the Quebec Population Health Research Network (QPHRN) for sharing the project, and support from Frayme.
We are also thankful for the contributions of Dr. Srividya Iyer, who conceived and shaped this initiative, and Dr. Mónica Ruiz-Casares, who led the original project of youth participation in mental health policymaking.
Sakiko is a postdoctoral researcher at School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill university. She has strong interest in co-creating new knowledge through engagement with youth with diverse experiences, and bridging the gap between research and policies to create positive impacts on mental health services and systems.
Kiakhur is a student at the University of Toronto studying Population Health and Mental Health Studies. She is interested in youth mental health research, policy, and knowledge translation.
Joshua is a mental health and suicide prevention advocate from Ontario working to ensure not only increased knowledge but also better public policy for mental health in Canada. Active in his community on many levels, he also sits on the National Advisory Councils of the Mood Disorders Society of Canada and the National Initiative for Eating Disorders among others.