The Centre for Public Health at NIMHANS was started on 27th November 2012 with a vision to strengthen public health response to mental, neurological, substance use disorders, injuries, and other non-communicable diseases. The Centre for Public Health firmly believes that strengthening components of research, training, and interventions for a better understanding of mental health issues among youth will have a significant impact on the overall mental health status of the community. Multidisciplinary involvement is the key to realize this undying belief. Program ‘Yuva Spandana’ is one such effort towards strengthening youth mental health using an empowerment model.
Youth is a transitional phase with unique physical and emotional changes and special needs. Today’s youth live in a world of multiple challenges, diverse sources of stress, heightened expectations, and pressure to achieve. Youth are also influenced by a variety of internal and external factors like home, school, environment, media, etc., and face a lot of challenges related to social, psychosocial, behavioral & mental health issues. This would impact their overall development, be it education or career or for leading a happy and productive life.
Program ‘Yuva Spandana’ is a unique program, designed and developed involving all the stakeholders right from the stage of inception to implementation. This program takes into account the challenges youth may have in today’s world. Youth themselves have significantly contributed to developing Yuva Spandana for themselves. They have assisted experts in identifying and providing a comprehensive list of areas that would help them grow up to be better individuals. Other stakeholder contributors involved were experts in various fields, like public health specialists, psychologists, psychiatrists, district youth empowerment officers, identified representatives from youth clubs, National Service Schemes, Non-Governmental Organization and teachers from various schools and colleges within the state along with youth and their parents themselves.
