We are pleased to showcase artworks on youth mental health policymaking created by five young people in Canada, Kenya, and Bangladesh. Youth well-being and mental health are widely recognized as policy priorities, and youth participation is gaining momentum in Canada and globally. Yet, our previous studies on how children and youth participate in the arena of mental health policymaking identified a lack of diversity among child and youth participants, and that youth often feel frustrated in a tokenized participation process.

As creative arts have the capacity to raise mental health awareness and foster dialogue around difficult issues, we launched a call for youth artwork submission in October 2023. Through this opportunity, young people expressed their vision on more inclusive and meaningful youth participation in mental health policymaking using different mediums. All submitted artworks present the potential of youth’s collective voices and lived experience to push forward youth mental health agenda and promote mental health and well-being. We hope that this collection of submitted artworks inspires you to advocate for political space where voices of young people from a variety of backgrounds are elevated at the decision-making table.