About Youth Support Network Trust

Youth Support Network is a lived experience-led youth mental health organization whose mission is to educate, educate and support families and communities to better understand and care for the mental health of young people in Zimbabwe..

Our History

In 2018, while working as a campus sexual reproductive health peer educator and student’s rights activists at the University of Zimbabwe, our founder recognized the need for an organization that could focus on youth mental health. This conviction came soon after Ntokozo Nyathi was diagnosed with major depression and anxiety disorder in 2017 and struggled to access mental health services. His journey since then has exposed him to the challenges experienced by persons with mental disorders within and outside of the mental health sector. In 2018, he almost dropped out of university and was committed to a mental health institution as he was considered insane and thus where he faced inhumane treatment and abuse. Thus, having seen first-hand the struggles and lack of access to treatment for those suffering from mental illness, he was inspired to find a solution. In late 2018, he read about the findings of mad studies, an initiative that allows for social understanding and encourages appreciation of how we can be made mad by society and our circumstances in it. This encouraged him to commit himself to fighting the cause for mental health and human rights. The idea for Youth Support Network was born, a survivor led youth movement.

Our Organizational Values

Lived experience - we value the lived experiences of young people, families, and the community and use these views to inform our work.

• Collaboration - we work with other local, national and global research and community partners to ensure we are developing and implementing gold standard research in youth mental health.
• Empowerment – we ensure that young people are integral to the initiation and development of research priorities and projects, and that they are empowered as partners in the research process.
• Quality research and innovation - we value rigorous scientific methodology, whilst embracing novel ways of working, new strategies and opportunities.
• Diversity – we acknowledge, embrace and advocate for the diversity and specific needs of young people, accepting young people as they are.

Description of our work

Youth Support Network Trust currently has a number of projects and programs that are in the pipeline and these are summarized below.

School-Based Mental Health Literacy Programme

We are currently implementing our school-based mental health literacy program in 10 schools in Matabeleland South and Midlands provided to us through our partnership with Meita Africa. Our psychologists, social workers and peer supporters with lived experiences are playing pivotal role in implementing this program in which we raise awareness, train teachers on mental health, and provide counselling services, support group services and referral services to the students. We have been undertaking this project since the schools open after realizing the impact of COVID-19 and examination pressure especially on the writing candidate.

Youth Mental Health Podcast

Youth Support Network Trust utilizes digital media and interactive social activities to educate and mobilize young people to create awareness on youth mental health, our podcast hopes to create positive influence on digital platforms that will rope in government policy makers, families, and communities to be aware of the attention young people need concerning their mental health. Our Podcast is currently on-going and it is named The Crazy Youth Diaries Podcast, in honor of all the youths who have been called “crazy” just because of their mental health conditions. Listen here.

Other Projects

As Youth Support Network Trust we have been involved in the consultation and development of the World Health Organization Special Initiative for Mental Health in Zimbabwe priority areas.

We have also conducted radio campaigns in Bulawayo (Skyz Metro Fm and Khulumani Fm) and Harare (CapiTalk Fm) and community mental health educations targeting teen mothers around Mabuthweni area.