From Policy Intent to System Change My Reflections on Youth Mental Health
By Gareth Presch, CEO, World Health Innovation Summit & Global Social Prescribing Alliance
Yesterday, I had the privilege of convening leaders, policymakers, and innovators from across the globe to tackle one of the most urgent challenges of our time: how to turn youth mental health policy into systemic, sustainable action.
The session, “Translating Policy Intent into Systems Change for Youth Mental Health,” reinforced for me that prevention is not just a health imperative it is an economic, social, and moral opportunity.
Ecuador: Rights-Based, Cross-Sector Solutions
Maria Jose Plaza shared Ecuador’s journey in implementing its first mental health law, emphasizing rights-based approaches and collaboration across education, health, and social policy.
What stood out to me was how schools and primary care are critical platforms for prevention. But policy alone is not enough implementation and sustainable financing remain major challenges. Integrating mental health into broader social policies, tackling root causes like poverty and inequality, is essential to ensure no child is left behind.
Slovakia: Innovating Despite Workforce Challenges
Slovakia faces a severe shortage of child psychiatrists — only 47 for 5.4 million people. Peter Stahura outlined creative, pragmatic solutions: mandatory parent education on digital risks, screening tools for at-risk youth, and expanding adult psychiatrists’ scope to treat adolescents.
I was inspired by the practical ingenuity here: when resources are limited, innovation becomes not just desirable, but essential.
The Biggest Opportunity: Prevention as an Investable Asset
From my perspective, this is the largest opportunity we have for the future of our children. We are sitting on a $12 trillion global health industry, yet nearly all resources focus on treating illness rather than preventing it.
If we invest in prevention:
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We can create millions of new jobs in the care and wellbeing sector
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We can strengthen health systems worldwide
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We can empower communities to manage their own health before healthcare systems become overwhelmed COVID-19 showed us the stark connection between health and wealth. Prevention is no longer a moral choice it is a strategic, investable solution.
Social impact bonds, community-based platforms, and city-level interventions — like those we scale through WHIS demonstrate that investing in prevention delivers measurable health, social, and economic returns.
Key Lessons and Takeaways
- Integration is critical: health, education, social services, and employment must work together.
- Community co-creation works: young people, families, and local leaders must be part of designing solutions.
- Innovative financing unlocks impact: prevention can be monetized, creating both social and economic value. During our Q&A, participants explored systemic failures, stigma, digital access, AI fatigue, and workforce shortages. Across every question, one theme was clear: we cannot solve youth mental health in silos.
Next Steps: Action and Collaboration
The session underscored that this is just the beginning.
We will:
- Publish a Declaration on today’s discussion looking at how we can support Parliaments around the world
- Share recordings, presentations, and toolkits for continued collaboration
- Encourage participants to explore partnerships and pilot solutions locally and globally
Final Reflection
Prevention is more than a policy ambition it is a movement for systemic change. By combining evidence, innovation, finance, and community leadership, we can turn the $12 trillion health industry from reactive care into proactive, people-centered systems that deliver health for all, thriving communities, and economic resilience.
For me, this is personal: the future of our children depends on the choices we make today. Let’s act together to ensure youth mental health becomes a global priority and an investable reality.