As psychologist Lucy Foulkes has noted, universal interventions – while well-intentioned – often fall short. For learners experiencing significant distress, these lessons are too superficial. For others, they feel irrelevant or even distressing. In classrooms where learners don’t feel safe, they can deepen discomfort rather than relieve it.
The starting point has to shift. Real change won’t come from asking children to heal in isolation. It has to begin by equipping parents and caregivers who raise them and by strengthening the care ecosystems they rely on.
Mental health must be modelled – not simply taught. The Seriti Institute’s aRe Bapaleng programme, for example, has taken a community-first approach that prioritises empowering parents and caregivers before reaching the child.
In 2024, more than 4,400 caregivers were trained through active learning workshops and home visits – and received training sessions designed to help them identify stressors, talk about emotional wellbeing and foster healthier households.
As one participant put it: “Our children also have stress. We’ve learnt to manage their emotions – and ours. That’s the root of the happiest, healthiest baby ever.”
Rather than expecting young people to develop coping tools on their own, the programme empowers parents to become first responders. In homes where mental health is acknowledged and supported, children thrive.
It’s important to recognise the realities caregivers face. Most live in conditions of poverty, unemployment and grief. Many are young themselves, without role models for emotionally present parenting. One mother in Limpopo recalled being told: “If you’re feeling down, just eat. You’re probably just hungry.”
This casual minimisation of emotional pain is deeply rooted in systemic neglect and cultural silence.
Interventions have to go beyond just talking about feelings, but also building habits, routines and safe spaces. Parents and caregivers need programmes that teach stress management, psychosocial support and gentle parenting.
The greatest challenge, however, may be the short-term nature of such programmes. Public and donor funding cycles rarely extend beyond 12 months. Communities are expected to build trust, shift behaviours and adopt entirely new ways of relating – all in a matter of weeks.
Even the most promising interventions risk collapse if funding, policy and public engagement don’t align for the long haul.
* Masiza and Mamabolo work for the Seriti Institute, an NGO that champions to create work opportunities, alleviate poverty and inequality, and strengthen caregivers
OPINION | Mental health crisis facing SA's youth an emergency that needs urgent attention
Young people dealing with depression, anxiety, self-harm and eating disorders
Image: 123RF
In the homes of our most underserved communities, a quiet crisis is growing. Beyond hunger, unemployment and violence, there’s another urgent emergency: the silent erosion of our young people’s mental health.
Globally, youth mental health is in crisis. According to the World Health Organisation, one in seven young people aged between 10 and 19 lives with a mental disorder, making up 15% of the total disease burden for that age group.
Millions of young people around the world are dealing with depression, anxiety, self-harm and eating disorders – and many do not receive the help they need. Suicide is now among the leading causes of death for teenagers.
In SA, these numbers take on added weight when layered with generational poverty, stigma and a lack of access to care. A recent Unicef SA U-Report poll revealed that 60% of children and youth felt they needed mental health support in the past year – yet only 12% received professional help.
This represents real lives under strain in homes, schools and communities across the country. The gap between need and support is vast and growing.
There’s a generational risk that calls for a sustained, co-ordinated response. One that starts with the very ecosystems young people rely on most: their homes.
To their credit, both the public and private sectors across the world have tried to respond. School-based programmes focused on mindfulness and emotional awareness are being implemented in many countries. But the results are mixed.
As psychologist Lucy Foulkes has noted, universal interventions – while well-intentioned – often fall short. For learners experiencing significant distress, these lessons are too superficial. For others, they feel irrelevant or even distressing. In classrooms where learners don’t feel safe, they can deepen discomfort rather than relieve it.
The starting point has to shift. Real change won’t come from asking children to heal in isolation. It has to begin by equipping parents and caregivers who raise them and by strengthening the care ecosystems they rely on.
Mental health must be modelled – not simply taught. The Seriti Institute’s aRe Bapaleng programme, for example, has taken a community-first approach that prioritises empowering parents and caregivers before reaching the child.
In 2024, more than 4,400 caregivers were trained through active learning workshops and home visits – and received training sessions designed to help them identify stressors, talk about emotional wellbeing and foster healthier households.
As one participant put it: “Our children also have stress. We’ve learnt to manage their emotions – and ours. That’s the root of the happiest, healthiest baby ever.”
Rather than expecting young people to develop coping tools on their own, the programme empowers parents to become first responders. In homes where mental health is acknowledged and supported, children thrive.
It’s important to recognise the realities caregivers face. Most live in conditions of poverty, unemployment and grief. Many are young themselves, without role models for emotionally present parenting. One mother in Limpopo recalled being told: “If you’re feeling down, just eat. You’re probably just hungry.”
This casual minimisation of emotional pain is deeply rooted in systemic neglect and cultural silence.
Interventions have to go beyond just talking about feelings, but also building habits, routines and safe spaces. Parents and caregivers need programmes that teach stress management, psychosocial support and gentle parenting.
The greatest challenge, however, may be the short-term nature of such programmes. Public and donor funding cycles rarely extend beyond 12 months. Communities are expected to build trust, shift behaviours and adopt entirely new ways of relating – all in a matter of weeks.
Even the most promising interventions risk collapse if funding, policy and public engagement don’t align for the long haul.
* Masiza and Mamabolo work for the Seriti Institute, an NGO that champions to create work opportunities, alleviate poverty and inequality, and strengthen caregivers
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