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However, at these workshops, men often start by sketching their favorite football or team jerseys, medics say. Soon, the images became a conversation about everyday anxiety – showing how sport can open doors that traditional mental health discussions often can’t.
“On the field, absolutely no one wins aloneAl Nahari said. “Players depend on the entire ecosystem – defenders, midfielders, coaches, medics and fans in the stands – all have an important role. As we approach youth mental health, we need the same ecosystem.”
Talking on the side UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs Felipe Paullier at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, Dr. Al Nahari highlights how sport can improve youth mental health outcomes – and reduce stigma.
On Friday, just two days before the Men’s World Cup final across the river from Midtown Manhattan in New Jersey, it was United Nations Youth Office will host young leaders, policymakers, civil society, athletes, and more celebrate football as a catalyst for youth mental health.
This event is part of the Youth Service flagship initiative on Youth Mental Health and Wellbeingwhich aims to move the conversation beyond the clinical response.
Youth struggle
In February, a UN report found it one in seven people aged 10 to 19 have a mental health condition75 percent of adults’ mental health conditions occur by their mid-twenties and depression among teenagers and young adults has increased in recent years.
The report notes that youth mental health is deeply influenced by a variety of disparities and social determinants – including education, employment, family dynamics, poverty, technology and societal attitudes – all of which require cross-sectoral policies to address.
“Young people are facing a very complex world with highly unpredictable changes in terms of digital disruption, economic uncertainty, the consequences of armed conflict, displacement and social isolation,” said Paullier.
As a result, World Health Organization (WHO) recommend interventions that build resilience, increase alternatives to risky behavior, integrate multiple delivery methods and foster a supportive social environment.
One such intervention is youth participation in sports.
Mental game
The same report found that playing team sports is associated with lower levels of depression and anxietyIn any country, many young people face barriers to meaningful participation in sport.
As the world’s number one sport, says the Youth Office football can build a sense of belonging and social connection, strengthen emotional resilience, and promote inclusion and collective well-being.
“We believe that football and sport are incredibly powerful messengers, not just because of what they represent when connecting people, because we know football legends can be powerful messengers to change the narrative,” said Paullier.
Both speakers emphasized that football is unique because it functions as a universal language that fosters a sense of belonging in the younger generation.
Dr. Al Nahari emphasized that young people are already building effective solutions to support each other’s mental health, and it is the duty of the UN and the international community to listen – and be productive partners with them.
“The most important players are the young generation itself,” he said. “They don’t wait on the sidelines to be rescued.”
Football alone is not enough
That “One World, One Game, One Goal” event. on Friday demonstrated football’s ability to tackle social isolation, but it is just one example of the UN’s multisectoral approach to addressing youth mental health around the world.
For example, WHO And United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) provides an evidence-based framework to help governments implement effective psychosocial support programs in schools through Helping Teenagers Develop (HAT) initiative.
“We wanted to use more than just sports,” Paullier said. “We want to meet young people where they are.”
In addition to the UN’s efforts to raise awareness of youth mental health and support implementation programs, Paullier said the world must do a better job playing a supporting role in funding.
Most countries allocate less than two percent of their annual health budget to mental health, creating a detrimental impact on mental health funding gap of $200 billion, According to WHO.
“Behind these numbers, there are actually millions of young people suffering suffering that is often unseen, unspoken and unsupported,” said Paullier.
