Advocacy to put an end to the stigma of mental health especially amongst the youth.

Advocacy to put an end to the stigma of mental health especially amongst the youth.

The Student Support Service project aims to address the mental health of H.O.P.E Christian Academy students whose psychological wellbeing negatively affects the academic performance and coping capacity for stress, leading to suicidal impulses. The project is student-led counseling to assist learners in speaking out about their mental health difficulties affecting their academic pursuance and other factors in life.
The concept of mental health advocacy has been developed to promote the human rights of persons with mental disorders and to reduce stigma and discrimination. It consists of various actions aimed at changing the major structural and attitudinal barriers to achieving positive mental health outcomes in populations. Advocacy in this field began when the families of people with mental disorders first made their voices heard. People with mental disorders then added their own contributions. Gradually, these people and their families were joined and supported by a range of organizations, many mental health workers and their associations, and some governments. Recently, the concept of advocacy has been broadened to include the needs and rights of persons with mild mental disorders and the mental health needs and rights of the general population. Advocacy is considered to be one of the eleven areas for action in any mental health policy because of the benefits that it produces for people with mental disorders and their families.