The initiative to close the gap in young mental health is being spearheaded by Parveen Shaikh, President of Mpower. With more than 22 years of expertise in career coaching, training, and counseling, she has played a significant role in changing the way mental health is seen and handled in India. Shaikh is striving to make mental health a priority, an accessible, and stigma-free space via innovative projects, national campaigning, and the next Mpowering Minds Summit 2025.

Mpower’s presence in ten states has grown thanks in large part to Parveen Shaikh. Her work has helped close the mental health treatment gap, especially among security forces, government agencies, and rural populations. She has been instrumental in changing the discourse in India on career counseling, life skills, and mental health by working with UNICEF, USAID, and other government agencies.

In India, youth mental health still receives less attention than physical health, despite growing awareness. The treatment gap is a startling 84.5%, according to the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS), and it is mostly caused by stigma, ignorance, and restricted access to professional help. Shaikh emphasizes the need for early intervention. “In order to identify distress and offer prompt assistance, we must incorporate mental health education into school curricula and train educators, parents, and peers as Mental Health First Aiders.”

The forthcoming Mpowering Minds Summit 2025 is an important project because of this. Experts in teenage mental health from across the world will gather at the summit to exchange ideas, pinpoint gaps in care, and create workable solutions. “Creating acceptance, promoting action, and leading through advocacy for policy changes are our three main goals,” Shaikh explains. Advocates for mental health, educators, and legislators will come together to fight for urgent structural changes.

Stigma, ignorance, and restricted access to high-quality, reasonably priced programs are some of the main obstacles keeping young people from getting the care they need. Shaikh draws attention to the expanding impact of AI and technology, which presents additional difficulties for young people’s mental health.

Mpower has started a number of programs to address these issues, such as Mental Health First Aider training for mentors, teachers, and families. As the first systematic mental health curriculum in India, the “Our Minds Matter program fosters resilience and emotional well-being among students,” she says. Furthermore, students are empowered to recognize distress, provide peer support, and advocate for professional help when needed via the COPE Clubs project, which is now in operation at 57 institutions.

In addition to providing individual treatment, Mpower has been influencing national mental health legislation. She states that the Mpowering Minds Summit 2025 is a first step in changing juvenile mental health policies. The group is pushing for the creation of peer support groups, more financing from the public and private sectors, and the inclusion of mental health education in school curricula. In order to bridge the gap between policy talks and practical execution, Shaikh said, “We are pushing for every school—government and private—to have trained counselors and psychologists.”

It is anticipated that the forthcoming Mpowering Minds Summit 2025 would revolutionize the campaigning for juvenile mental health. The release of the Youth Mental Health Research Report, a groundbreaking research revealing important issues related to loneliness among young people, will be a major highlight. According to Shaikh, “the summit is about real, tangible change—it is not just about discussion.” In order to improve mental health infrastructure, the event will promote public-private collaborations, more financing, and mental health education in school curricula. “In order to promote significant policy changes and have an impact on the ground, we are also establishing a Global Mental Health Consortium, as envisioned by Neerja Birla.”

The inclusion of mental health education in school curricula and the need for all schools to employ qualified counselors are, in Shaikh’s opinion, the two most important changes that must be made in order to redefine juvenile mental health in India. She is adamant that educational institutions provide mental health help. We can build a better, more resilient future for India’s youth by identifying early warning signals, normalizing dialogue, and offering prompt help.