About the Programme
The Well-being Ambassadors Programme (WAP) is a flagship
programme by SIMHA, supported by the SBI Foundation, designed
to train and empower young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 years
to be at the forefront of the mental health and well-being advocacy movement in their educational institutions. We believe that students are uniquely positioned to create and implement programmes for their peers that are aimed at fostering their well-being. As part of the WAP, we are committed to providing our ambassadors with the resources, guidance, and information that they will need to foster well-being for all students within their educational settings. In particular, we hope to equip our ambassadors with the knowledge and skills they require to be ambassadors of mental health and well-being now and in the future.
Aim
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Objectives
Aim
The WAP aims to empower and support current university-enrolled students to be at the forefront of well-being advocacy and programme development in their respective institutes and thereby create communities that foster psychosocial well-being.
Objectives
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To create and enhance mental health and well-being awareness among ambassadors and their peers at their respective institutes across India.
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To equip ambassadors with the knowledge and skills required to understand, create, implement, and evaluate well-being programmes for their peers at their respective institutes.
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To support ambassadors in their growth towards becoming future leaders of mental health and well-being advocacy.
Why this Programme
Youth mental health and well-being concerns are one of the major contributors to the global burden of disease, with over 20% of the global youth experiencing some form of mental health distress. In India, it is estimated that 1 in every 10 young adults is diagnosed with a mental illness.
Despite these widespread mental health needs, many do not receive the required support. This needs-response gap highlights a public health crisis that requires urgent and affirmative response. There is strong evidence to suggest that the stigma attached to psychological well-being largely contributes to the treatment-gap in India.
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There is, hence a pressing need to implement programmes and policies for young adults that increase awareness, reduce stigma and in general, support youth mental health and well-being particularly, within settings where they spend considerable periods of time such as higher educational environments. These programmes and policies should be designed to meet the needs of the youth population across all levels of care, especially promotion and prevention.
Although there are several stakeholders in an educational setting, such as counsellors, teachers, and institutional leaders, who play an active role in student mental health and well-being, students should be at the heart of any well-being efforts as they are more likely to relate and empathise with the experiences of their peers. Engaging youth leaders in becoming ambassadors of well-being allows policy makers and community leaders to fully understand and contextualise youth mental health and well-being. Most importantly, involving youth in mental health and well-being advocacy is essential because young people deserve to have a say in decisions that impact their own interests.